Predator and Prey
by Anon A. Mauze
Summary: The law of the jungle is absolute. Kill or be killed, eat or be eaten. The laws of survival had always been black and white for the Totetsu. ON HAITUS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. Courtesy of vanishing betas and writer's block.
1. Chapter 1

**Predator and Prey**

_Disclaimer: Petshop of Horrors not mine, someone else's. I just wished I lived there. Also, Lee Sinhg, Coyote, and Entai are the sole property of Akita and Subu-chan, who have graciously allowed me to write my own fic that ties in with their PSOH fics. Any other characters from any other series that may pop up also belong only to their respective companies._

Co-authored by: Kita and Subu-chan.

_**Warning: Graphic scene of NCS in first chapter. Read at own risk.**_

**Chapter One:**

Shifting uncomfortably, a pale figure huddled in a recessed doorway, listening intently to the sounds of footsteps as they grew ever closer. The very thought of them catching her terrified her. She had escaped, but only barely. Now they hunted her as others had her namesake, centuries ago. Trembling uncontrollably, she inched farther back into the doorway, making no noise in her shoeless and nearly naked state. The tiny portion of her mind that was still functioning properly pointed out that wandering shoeless in this part of any city was dangerous.

The terrified part pointed out in return that the place she had escaped from was far worse. It was a fate worse than death, for a girl. No, she had been foolish enough to believe the crazy foreigner's words of promise, of a better place, away from war and hunger. Then, when she'd arrived, she been taken somewhere dark, and people, men, started touching her.

They'd enjoyed her screams. She remembered that very well.

She was the lucky one; the one small enough to hide easily in an unlocked car trunk at a party her "master" sent her and three others to a few days after she'd arrived.

Still, they'd soon noticed she was missing, and thus she had ended up here, in a remote section of LA's Chinatown, shivering in a stolen dress and a cold rain.

Sometimes, her life sucked. Scratch that, she told herself; her life sucked all the time. But her Irish ancestors would be appalled if she gave up now.

The heavy tromp of footsteps clattered down the stairway and in her haste to avoid being seen she rattled the wrought-iron gateway attached to the entrance of the shop whose entryway she was attempting to use as a hiding hole. Scrambling around she found a length of broken pipe from an old drain that still dripped water down on her from the neighboring building. Clutching it, she froze and waited without breathing as a shadow fell across the dimly lit entrance.

Inside, the sound of the rattling gate woke only a single inhabitant of the shop. Stretching and yawning languorously, he allowed his shape to shimmer into the human facade he wore so often when he went outside the shop, looking after the detective's kid brother. With the return of conscious awareness came the sharply pungent scent of fear, and something else, something musky. Snorting to rid himself of the distasteful smell, the creature shifted his body so he could watch the door, and waited for an intruder of some sort to make itself known.

"So here you are my little fox," chuckled a low voice as the shadow advanced. "It's time for you to return home."

A savage snarl lit her face as she glared at the man before her. "Tha' hellhole is not me home, bastard." The thick Irish accent was even more pronounced when she was angry or afraid than it was normally, he noted distantly.

He took a step closer and halted when the cornered girl took swing at him with a length of copper pipe. "Feisty, aren't you?" He asked. "No matter." He lunged forward and ducked under the overhand swing she took at him. Coming up inside her guard, he grabbed her free hand and ground it into the wall, making her cry out.

She stomped on his toes, not that it did much more than annoy him, even as she swung the pipe up behind his back to smack him hard in the head. "Le' me go, ass!"

Shaking the slight disorientation away, he finally managed to grab her other hand and wrenched the makeshift weapon away from her. "Stupid!" he hissed, throwing her from him.

Sparks appeared behind the girl's eyes when her head met the concrete as the man ruthlessly shoved her down onto her hands and knees. Dazed, her sense of up and down reeling, she only dimly felt the tattered remains of her dress being ripped away.

He leaned over her body to whisper harshly in her ear. "We were told to make sure you never try to escape again. You belong to us, and we will do with you as we please. Now, I think you owe me something for the trouble of having to catch you, little seal." He reached around to her front and a callused hand roughly grabbed one of her breasts, while the other was busy pushing down his own pants. Groaning at the brush of his cock against her core, he quickly thrust forward, sighing happily when she screamed in pain. Pulling back and thrusting in again, he realized that the screams could bring down the wrong sort of people and stuffed the torn, dirty garment he'd ripped off her into her mouth, stifling the sounds. Keeping the shuddering girl impaled on him, he carefully scooted their joined forms back into the deepest shadows and once settled, rammed himself as deeply as possible into the body beneath him. Eager now, he kept one hand on her hip to steady her as he thrust and the other busily roamed her front, first toying with one breast, and then the other, before wandering down to between her thighs and rubbing the little nub hidden in her folds.

Grunting, he suddenly realized that the tensing of the body beneath him that went with the screams, and felt so good while he was deep within her, had stopped. Grabbing a fistful of hair, he wrenched her head around, disgusted by the tears smearing tracks in the dirt on her face. He knew how to get her screaming again, he thought as he let go of the hair and slid a small knife out of his belt. Smirking, he stabbed it into one of the hands holding her body off the ground. There, that did it, he mused as he continued stroking his length inside her, holding back groans as each stroke or stab of the knife brought forth new screams. As the girl collapsed under him, eyes vacant and blood dripping off her body, he never noticed the slender form that slid up behind him and yanked him off of her.

"Get lost, boy," he snarled at the intruder.

A harsh and malevolent chuckle rattled the air around him as the human pulled his pants up. "Oh, I think not, disgusting thing. Rather, it's you who should leave. Before I change my mind and eat you anyway." The creature stepped smoothly past the bloody girl into the dim lamplight from the street to reveal a small but very compact body dressed rather oddly, in what he would later refer to as "Aladdin garb", a light, embroidered vest and loose, baggy pants. Meeting the seemingly young man's eyes startled him as they revealed a cold and bloodthirsty desire to rip him to bite-size shreds. Gold around his neck and wrists shimmered in muted colors that matched the strange amber eyes that glinted with cruelty as their owner took another step forward, and he saw a _clawed_ hand tracing its way across the creature's bottom lip as a dark pink tongue darted out to test the sharpness of each claw.

Turning, he fled, shaken to his soul by an unnatural fear of the strange boy.

With a disappointed huff, said boy shrugged and glanced down at the small girl on the ground, her life bleeding away from several chest wounds. No doubt from the knife, he mused. Kneeling, he put two fingers to the pulse in her neck. It was weak but steady. Shuddering out a sigh, he licked his lips and pressed the tips of his clawed fingers into the blood pooling beside her and then brought them to his mouth and licked them clean. Hissing in pleasure, he dragged his tongue across one fang and closed his eyes to savor the flavor for a moment before returning his attention to the immediate problem of the still-living girl.

Sticking his tongue out and huffing in a very childish manner, he began to grumble. "Now why did I have to go and get involved? D'll never forgive me if I just left her here, or ate her. Nuthin' for it, I've gotta take her inside." Shoving his desire for more than just a taste to the side, he lifted the limp body, slipped past the gate and locked it behind him. Also closing and locking the main door, he waited a moment before lifting his voice in a shout loud enough to wake the dead. "COUNT D!"

Laying the nameless girl on the couch, he darted quickly into the bathroom D kept for customers and grabbed a handful of washcloths. Carefully pressing them into the largest of the seeping wounds, he noted wryly from a predator's perspective that at least the knife hadn't hit any major blood vessels. Hearing soft footsteps coming down the hall, he turned his head to look up at the proprietor of the shop. "D."

Chin length black hair swayed as a frown snaked its way across the cool and almost femininely attractive face. "Don't tell me you went out to hunt, T-chan. It's far too dangerous..."

Shaking his tawny head, the being turned his attention back to the girl. "No. There was a disturbance outside the front door. When I went to investigate, she was being attacked, so I scared the idiot off and brought her in. Couldn't very well let her die after going to the trouble of saving her from another."

"Ah." Then D smirked gently. "Your 'good deed' for the day?"

Snorting T-chan leaned back from the figure on the couch. "I think you're gonna need Lee Sinhg to patch her up. Bastard had a knife, and knew just how to use it to cause the most pain without killing her." He glared up at D. "Disgusting. Much as I may hate humans, and wish the entire race would just vanish into my belly, no one deserves _that_ done to them."

Eyes growing wide, D processed that sentence coming out of his Totetsu's mouth. "You mean she was..."

"Being raped? Yeah."

A nod was directed his way even as the taller man glided over to the phone, one of the few pieces of modern technology he permitted inside his petshop. Dialing, he had to wait several minutes before it was picked up on the other end. "Lee Sinhg? I am most sorry to disturb you so late at night. There has been something of a disturbance ... No, it is not the Detective. T-chan heard something outside and investigated, discovering a young girl being assaulted. She's bleeding rather badly ... Yes, he's doing what he can to stop the blood flow ... Yes I know it is against his normal nature. He said it would have been a waste to rescue her and then let her die. ... Very well. I will see you soon. Thank you." Hanging up the phone D walked over and settled himself on the end of the couch. "He'll be here soon. How bad is she?"

"Bad enough. Moron missed the stomach, but I think he punctured a lung. Her heartbeat is steady but weak, and her breathing is pretty ragged." Tetsu looked up at D again, seeing the intent expression. "Something wrong?"

"No. I am surprised at how you've restrained yourself."

Flinching slighty in guilt, the Totetsu looked away quickly. Her blood had tasted so _good_.

A soft chuckle wrapped around him. "Ah, I see. You did taste her."

Shrugging away the comment, he watched the pale face below him carefully. "Only a taste. There was so much blood on the ground I couldn't resist." Licking his lips in remembrance, his hands trembled where they held the cloths against the worst wounds. "We'll have to clean it up before the shop can open tomorrow."

"It will be done. Tetsu ... what made you decide to intervene?"

Shifting uncomfortably, T-chan hid his eyes from D for a few seconds. D let him collect his thoughts before placing a hand on the slightly shuddering Totetsu. "Tetsu?"

"She was screaming," he whispered so quietly D had to lean in closer. "I couldn't stand her screaming." He turned wide eyes up at his guardian. "I'm a predator, I _like_ fear in my prey, but she was plain fucking _terrified_. There is no joy in such a hunt, only death. Even if only of the spirit."

"I understand. As I told Detective Orcot, most animals show more compassion than any human. They know the laws of survival, while humans have forgotten them in their arrogance. _You_ kill only to live. There is no shame in enjoying the hunt, but to hunt without need, only for the pleasure of killing ... that is wrong. And you are correct, to kill the spirit yet leave the body living is a terrible crime." Slender hands pressed against those of the over-strained Totetsu, taking over the job of applying pressure to the girl's wounds. "Go. Let me do this. I can see you trembling. Go, and eat something before you return."

Rising, Tetsu almost sprinted to the double doors leading away from the main areas of the petshop. D looked down on the girl, noting with mild interest the faint glimmer of magic that surrounded her. Was she ... no, she smelled human. "Who are you, little lady? Where does this magic come from?" He sighed, knowing the only way to get his answers was to wait for her to heal. Now he just had to keep her alive long enough for Lee Sinhg to get here.

The minutes passed by as slowly the flow of blood slowed and D needed to change the cloths less frequently.

Across the room the front door opened and closed, admitting a man dressed in a long raincoat, which he immediately removed. "D?"

"Lee Sinhg, I am grateful you have come so quickly. I have not the skill the treat these wounds." Shifting to the side, D let the doctor in to examine the girl. As the next few moments passed the frown upon Lee Sinhg's face became more and more grim. Finally he looked up from his new patient. "If you ever find who did this, let me know. I want a piece of him. Whoever did this was someone who knows how to use a knife in the worst possible way. If this wound on the side of her chest had been an inch higher, it would have struck her heart and she'd be dead, not clinging to life here, with a hole in her lung."

A dark voice spoke from the doorway into the depths of the petshop. "You'll have to beat me to him. If I ever see him again, I'm going to eat him. Slowly." Tetsu flashed the two men a blood drenched grin. Dangling from his hand was a rabbit, half of it gone, most likely down his throat, they knew. He was grateful the bloodlust had been sated by the quick hunt, with a meal in his stomach, he'd be able to help the other two get the girl settled. Quickly gulping down the rest of the unfortunate rabbit, he walked into the kitchen to wash his hands while Lee Sinhg and D bent to the task of putting the poor girl-creature back together.

"D? I'm going to get the room next to Chris's ready for her. If I have to I'll wake him, though I don't think I'll need any help with it. Get her patched up, I'll be ready by the time you're done," he called as he headed back down the rear hallways, now in a much better mood than he had been in before. Gathering a couple extra blankets from the cupboard where D kept them, he turned a corner and stopped before a door carved from two pieces of solid oak. It held a picture of high cliffs and perching sea birds overlooking a family of seals as they played in a moon-shaped bay. It was a remarkable piece of work. D had told him that it had been a gift from some king long ago.

Half an hour later, while Tetsu was still preparing a room for her, Lee Sinhg sat back from the girl, put his needle and thread away, and sighed. "That's the last of them. Keep them dry, but don't cover them, they need to drain to keep out infection. Let her rest as much as possible, but don't keep her from moving about. She probably won't want to get out of bed more than necessary, at first. She also has a mild concussion from that bump to her head. Don't worry about it unless she starts having dizzy spells." After putting all his tools in a small black bag he motioned D away from her. "D, have you noticed anything unusual about her?"

"You saw the shimmer as well?"

"Of course. Let her speak and see what you find. Magic like that is difficult to bind." He stopped and laughed wryly. "There I go again, rhyming. There is a binding spell on her, but it is not magic I am familiar with. Perhaps you can discover something of importance. If any of those get infected, call me. Now, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

D saw him out the door then turned to look at the girl laying quietly on the couch. After a moment he sighed and glided forward to pick her up. Tetsu was just coming out of the room he'd chosen for her when D came around the corner carrying her.

"Damn, D! Why didn't you let me that? I'm the one who woke you up after all."

D shook the protests away with a shake of his head. "Do not worry so, T-chan. She needs her rest, so turn the bed down for her and let's get her settled. We may worry about everything else later."

When D closed the door to the unknown girl's new room, he turned to find Tetsu staring off into nothingness a thoughtful frown on his handsome face. "T-chan?" he called softly. Once the Totetsu was looking at him he continued. "For what it's worth, I believe you did the right thing. To leave her to her fate is not a cruelty you have in your nature."

Smiling ruefully, Tetsu ran a hand through his hair. He was about to answer when a sleepy yawn interrupted him.

_Tetsu? Count D? What's goin' on? Why's everyone awake?_ Chris stood in his doorway, rubbing sleepy eyes with the back of a hand.

"Everything is well, Chris. The shop merely has a new guest that will be staying here for an indeterminate amount of time. She needs to rest, and so do you. Go back to bed and you may meet her in the morning." D ushered the little boy back into his own room and made sure he got into his bed before leaving.

Tetsu was nowhere to be found. Shaking his head, D sighed and decided to go back to bed and wait till morning to deal with the rest of the problems. Casting a look back at the elegantly-carved seal door, he hoped her rest would be easy.

...End of chapter...

Yeah I know I said I would only be updating the one fic, but I was so inspired by Kita and Subu-chan I had to start writing this. Hope you enjoy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Predator and Prey**

_Disclaimer: Petshop of Horrors not mine, someone else's. I just wished I lived there. Also, Lee Sinhg, Coyote, and Entai are the sole property of Akita and Subu-chan, who have graciously allowed me to write my own fic that ties in with their PSOH fics. Any other characters from any other series that may pop up also belong only to their respective companies._

Co-authored by: Kita and Subu-chan.

_**Chapter Two:**_

Running a hand through tawny hair, Tetsu yawned and expertly flipped Chris's morning eggs. He hadn't gotten much sleep, even after that girl had been put into a proper bed. He kept seeing the last few moments he'd caught before he'd intervened; when he had seen the brilliant fire in her eyes die while her body was brutally violated. He might not be human, but he'd seen something similar in the eyes of zoo animals, that same "dead" quality that took over as the realization of imprisonment crept in. He hated seeing it. He fed as much on the _life_ as the flesh and blood of his kills, for any creature to lose that spark of life ... well, such creatures didn't make very good prey, they were the ones who would let him kill them without a sound, without a fight. Not any fun at all.

Behind the busy, and pensive, Totetsu, Chris slid into his chair at the table, also yawning. It was likely that he'd just woken up, given that he was still in his pajamas, Tetsu noted when he glanced back at the kid.

_T-chan? What was going on last night? Who's in the room next to mine?_

Sighing, but knowing that the bright human child was rather like a bulldog when he wanted to know something, he put the eggs on the plate next to the toast and slid the whole thing in front of the hungry child. "We don't know her name yet. She was attacked and I decided to rescue her. Try not to bother her too much if she wakes, okay? She badly hurt and needs to rest."

_Okay! Thanks for breakfast, Tetsu!_

"You're welcome, kiddo. Eat that and then you need to go take a bath. Your lug of a brother should be here soon to take you to the beach for the day, remember? It's his day off."

_Oh, yeah! Hey, T-chan? Do you think you could come with me? _Chris was shoveling food into his mouth so quickly and eagerly that Tetsu wasafraid he was going to choke.

"Sorry, kid. I need to stay here and help the Count. You just have fun with your brother." Shaking his head, he moved around the kitchen, cleaning up the small mess made by breakfast. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but he was going to miss the kid when he returned to the human race. Everyone at the shop was, really. Chris was well liked by all the inhabitants, most particularly himself, Pon-chan, and Count D. And it hurt to remember that he was still just a human.

break

Awareness came back slowly to the injured girl. At first, all she could tell was that she was very warm, and comfortable. Pain was secondary to a comfort she hadn't felt in a very long time. And then she tried to sit up. She groaned as she was stabbed by a sharp pain in her left side and an aching burn from the slash cut diagonally across her chest, from her left shoulder to just under her right breast. Hissing, her eyes snapped open and then squeezed shut, leaking tears of pain. Quickly her hands went to her sides and felt along them, finding the edges of the bandages that had been placed loosely over her wounds. Her gasp of astonishment was turned to a cough by a renewed stab of agony in her chest.

Opening her eyes again, she took several shallow, fast breaths in effort to control the pain as she eased herself slowly up into a sitting position. Her right hand throbbed dully and she remembered that the bastard had stabbed a knife through it. Lifting it so she could see it, she was surprised to see that it had been neatly bandaged. She frowned. Surely, they would not go to such lengths for her, not after the trouble she had caused. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she carefully put her feet to the floor and stood, trying not to fall over as a wave of disorientation swamped her.

When she felt steady, she took a careful breath and opened her eyes again, slowly. She found she was dressed in a … well, she did not know what to call it. She had never seen anything like it. It was long, with a stiff, high collar, and no sleeves. It was lightly embroidered along the edges with a flower and vine motif. It also seemed to be made of a dazzlingly red silk. It was like nothing she had ever owned. Fingering the fine garment, her frown became even more pronounced. What was going on here?

Finally taking notice of the rest of the room around her, she realized the place she as currently in was like no place she'd ever seen before. Her bed, cut low to the floor, was ornately carved with a repeating pattern of phoenixes. It was evidently ancient; the once brown wood gone dark with age, though it was kept in otherwise pristine condition. In the far corner, was a tall wardrobe to match the bed, the birds overlaid in copper or bronze. Its clawed feet rested on what seemed to be the finest of cherry wood. Flung around the room like there'd been a pillow fight were several flat cushions large enough for her to sit on, in the same rich blue and gold as the bed coverings. It had the appearance of a room for a welcome guest, not a prisoner.

Swaying slightly, she wobbled her way over to the door, surprised to find it unlocked, and quietly let herself out, half intent on finding a way out, and half intent on finding a bathroom. The constant pain from her wounds seared through her with every step she took. Grateful that years of living on the outskirts of Dublin had increased her pain tolerance, she managed to push it to the side. She'd had worse injuries, but not many.

Stopping at the end of the hallway, she found she had to lean against the wall and gulp down a few shallow breaths of air, steeling herself to continue. She knew subconsciously that she was deliberately avoiding thinking about something, but she felt she didn't have the extra energy to face that particular truth at the moment. She kept shoving it to the side, where it wouldn't bother her more important objectives. Panting harshly with the effort of subduing the pain caused by each jarring step she took, she began to feel a little light-headed.

Behind her, a smooth, young sounding voice spoke, half scaring her out of her wits. "Excuse me, but where do you think you are going?"

Turning slowly, because her injuries wouldn't allow her to move quickly, she came face to face with a handsome young man … and she was certain she must have blacked out, because fanned out behind him were nine fluffy, white fox tails. Eyes growing wide, she couldn't help but stare at him, even as he gave her a worried look when she didn't answer.

"Who … who _are_ you?" she finally gasped out, as her legs gave way underneath her.

Now he was the one looking surprised. A frown crossed his face even as he held out a hand to help the shocked human to her feet. He didn't know what she was doing so far from the "public" areas of the shop but knew she would need some help getting out of the maze of hallways. "The Count calls me Ten. Who might you be, doll?"

Flinching from the outstretched hand, she gulped convulsively as she tried to make some sort of answer come out of her frozen throat. Finally, she squeaked out her name. "R-Ronan. I'm Ronan."

Hunching down, he brought himself to eye level with her, meeting large gray-brown eyes filled with shocked wonder. "Hello, Ronan. Sorry if I frightened you. Let's get you up and find wherever it was you were going." Holding out a hand again, Ten waited for her to accept.

Slowly a smile worked its way across her face, edging the shock and fear out as it filled with amazement. "I must be dreaming," she said, and giggled. "I must be, because you seem to have nine tails. I mean, where else would I see someone with nine fluffy, white, fox-brush _tails_?"

Ten's legs went out from beneath him and he sat down hard. She _saw_ him, he realized. She was seeing his true form, something only Chris had been able to do. "Well," he said with a laugh, "It seems my legs aren't too steady either. So where were you headed? I live here so I can show you where just about anything is." Even as he spoke, his ever-busy mind was working; his first thought being that Count D needed to know what had happened.

Carefully Ronan took the steady hand and had to bite back a hiss of pain as he lifted her to her feet. "I was looking for a bathroom."

Ten watched her carefully, knowing what that barely audible whimper meant. "Are you hurt, doll?" Stepping closer, he sniffed cautiously, picking up the thick scent of blood that wreathed her natural smell so completely it was blotted out. "What happened to you?"

Yanking on her hand, which was still clutched in the other's, with as much strength as she could muster, she tried to pull away. "It's none o' yer business."

Letting the matter drop, as it seemed rather touchy at the moment, Ten kept his grip on her hand. "Come with me. I'll show you where the bathrooms are," '_And then I can take you to D,' _He added silently._ 'He'll want to see you, I'm sure.'_

She didn't know why she felt she could trust this … creature, but every sense she had was clamoring at her to accept his aid. He was nice, he hadn't tried to hurt her, and those fuzzy tails kept flashing across her mind. She was certain that wherever she was, she was not back in the brothel. That alone was enough to ease her mind, temporarily, at least. Once she found out what was going on it might be a different story altogether.

Ten kept a firm hold on Ronan as he led her toward the nearest bathroom. She was trying to hide it, but his sharp ears caught every pant and wheeze of pain. He knew she was in terrible agony. He was simply amazed she was still fighting to stay on her feet. She stumbled suddenly and her shriek of agony pierced his ears even as he leapt forward to brace her before she could fall. "Hey, careful there! The Count would have my lovely tails for a scarf if anything happened to you. The few people he lets in here tend to be ... um ... "special". In fact, the only other person he lets wander back here without an escort is Chris, and he's only six, and he lives here too, most of the time."

Confused, but in too much pain to consider it for too long, she leaned against Ten and shook with the effort of breathing. She felt dizzy, and her vision was beginning to blur. With a shocked start, she realized she was crying. Hot tears poured down her face and, not even thinking, she turned to Ten and clung to him like the only stable thing in the world, even as a video-like replay of the previous night ran itself through her head. She could feel the bite of the knife, and the slimy touch. For the moment, it did not matter that she had only met Ten less than ten minutes ago, only that he was there, and he was carefully lowering them to sit on the floor, as he cradled her shaking, shivering body.

The sudden breakdown of the girl wasn't too much of a surprise to the nine-tails. Being what he was, he'd felt her internal conflict, and smelled the faded scent of terror and sex even underneath the cloyling scent of blood. He'd been wondering when she was going to collapse, not from physical pain, since she was handling that rather well, but from the weight of mental fatigue. Sending out a pulse of magic, he called out to the others he knew might be able to help her. He only hoped that someone was nearby.

Break

Three hallways away, Count D felt the spike in Ten-chan's energy and stilled for a minute, listening to the murmuring of the walls. They painted a surprising picture for him. Ten-chan sitting on the floor, cradling the unnamed girl in his arms. She seemed to be weeping uncontrollably. Turning on his heel, he swept in the direction of their location, wondering what she was doing so far from her room. Lee Sinhg had been fairly certain that she wouldn't wake till later. Yet here she was, having clearly been trying to make her way to the front of the shop.

Slowing in a swirl of jade colored silk as he neared the pair, he silently paced up to Ten-chan and put a hand on his shoulder. "Ten-chan?" he asked quietly.

Twitching, the nine-tails looked up at the taller man. "Count D. Boy am I glad to see you. I _would_ assume you know what this girl is doing back here?" he asked impishly, though very quietly so as not to disturb Ronan.

Count D nodded. "Yes. Sometime last night T-chan heard a disturbance and intervened in the altercation on her behalf. As of now we do not know if she has anywhere to go. We placed her in the room next to young Chris's after Lee Sinhg had seen to her injuries." He paused as Ronan stirred against Ten-chan's arms. "I must confess I am surprised to see her moving about so quickly."

Dimly hearing a conversation going on about her ears, Ronan finally took a shuddering breath and looked up from where she had burrowed into Ten-chan's chest, leaving his loose, tunic-style t-shirt damp. Gulping nervously, she licked her lips and looked at Ten. "I'm sorry about that. I don't know what..."

Ten-chan shook his head, and placed a finger on her nose to silence her. "Of course you know, Ronan. But it's okay if you don't want to talk, doll. This is Count D, by the way. He owns this petshop. His is pretty much the final word on anything that goes on here. If he says you stay then, well, you stay, unless you want to leave on your own. He's a firm believer in free will." Ten tossed his head up at the man standing behind him with a small grin.

Looking up at the figure behind him, Ronan squeaked as her eyes went wide, then ducked behind Ten so that only the top of her head and her eyes were still visible. "Um ... hello?" murmured shyly, as her face flushed pink. This man was nothing like anyone she had ever seen, much like the rest of the whole building. Jade green silk covered him from neck to toes, while dark, forest-green pants peeked out from the slits in the overgarment. But glittering brightly over all of that was the oddest pair of eyes she had ever seen. One purple and one amber eye stared at her from out of a face that she could easily have mistaken for being female.

D couldn't resist a smile at her reaction to him. The surprise was understandable, but there was none of the fear or bedazzlement that most other humans exhibited. The fact that she had ducked behind _Ten-chan_ of all creatures was funny in and of itself, being that Ten was the biggest flirt in the whole petshop. Chuckling softly, he lowered himself to eye level with her and smiled encouragingly. "All is well. You are most welcome here. Your attacker was driven off, and it is doubtful that he will return. Feel free to wander, but please do be careful of what rooms you enter. Not all of the inhabitants of the shop are as benign as Ten-chan." He stood. "But come, I will help you to a place where you may sit and speak with others. I will also have Tetsu bring you something to eat shortly. Please be careful not to overstress yourself; several of your wounds required stitching and it would not be wise to tear them out."

Blinking in bewilderment, she automatically reached up to grasp the extended hand. The hand was tipped, she noted with an odd detachment, with inch-long nails any woman would be proud of, and those were painted a shocking red. D eased her gently up, careful not to pull on her cuts, only steady her, always mindful of her physical state. "Your name is Ronan, yes?" he asked while she found her balance on shaky legs. "That is what Ten-chan called you, isn't it? Ten-chan, would you see T-chan in the kitchen and ask him to bring something light for her to eat? I'll put her in the Library while you do." D asked, easily switching topics as his agile mind darted around, thinking of all the things that would have to be done, if the girl were to stay.

"Yeah, that's right. Ronan Ransom," She said as he led her away from Ten and his many tails.

"Your accent says you are Irish. Have you been long in the United States?"

"No, tha's how I got inta this entire mess in the first place. Took some fool American's offer of paying my way and wound up ... well, I'd rather not speak of it. It's not somethin' for casual discussion. So what is this place? Ten called it a petshop, but I've never seen a petshop like this." She shied away from the topic, not wanting to think about the shame she'd brought onto herself. It would forever haunt her nightmares, and to her, that was more than enough.

Opening the door to the Library, D guided her to a softly padded chair and eased her down into it. He smiled. "My petshop caters to the rarest and most unusual pets. In order to accomadate such rare creatures, certain alterations were made so they would be comfortable." Retrieving a light blanket from a cupboard hidden in the shadows of the room, he placed it over her lap and let her settle herself. "I have other tasks I must attend to, so I must take my leave of you. Is there perhaps a book you might be interested in reading?"

Looking about her with increasing wonder, she bit her lip and finally settled on a title. "Do you happen to have "The Chronicles of Narnia"?"

Surprised again, but not showing it he searched about in the appropriate bookshelf for a moment until he found the correct title. "This one, correct? If I am not mistaken, this has all of the titles in the series in it."

"Yeah! Um ... thanks." Her face brightened as he gave her the leatherbound book.

"It is no problem. Rest here. T-chan will be here in a few minutes to bring you something to eat." Turning, he let himself out the door and continued his rounds. The animals still had to be fed, no matter what else was happening. Let T-chan deal with her, he decided at last. The Totetsu could use having something to protect. He would finally learn why his kind were so highly valued, so long ago.


	3. Chapter 3

**Predator and Prey**

_Disclaimer: Petshop of Horrors not mine, someone else's. I just wished I lived there. Also, Lee Sinhg, Coyote, and Entai are the sole property of Akita and Subu-chan, who have graciously allowed me to write my own fic that ties in with their PSOH fics. Any other characters from any other series that may pop up also belong only to their respective companies._

Co-authored by: Kita and Subu-chan.

_**Chapter Three:**_

Ducking into what was normally referred to as "Tetsu's Domain", better known as the kitchen, Ten snorted wryly at the sight that met his eyes. Tetsu was wearing a frilly yellow apron while he carefully washed the dishes. Out in the sitting room, visible from the kitchen, Chris played with Pon-chan. "Damn, really the housewife, aren't you, Tetsu?" he asked with a laugh. He decided it would be safer not to mention the apron aloud, but he resolved to ask Chris later just where the Totetsu had gotten it.

Glowering at the intrusive fox, Tetsu shrugged. "It's not like any of you know how to cook human food. Chris needs to be fed. What'd ya want?"

Sliding into a chair at the table, Ten-chan smiled wolfishly. "The Count sent me. The rescue is awake and up and currently in the Library. He asks that you fix up a plate of light food for her to eat." Swiping an apple from the basket on the table he took big bite out of it, all the while smiling one of his trademark cheshire cat grins.

"What is your problem?" snarled Tetsu, even as he moved about gathering the makings for a snack plate.

Laughing, Ten-chan took another bite from the apple and deftly dodged as a pot was chucked his way. "So what is your connection to all this anyway? D said something about a disturbance last night."

Huffing, T-chan snagged another apple from the table basket, quartering it with vicious strokes. From his expression, it was clear he'd like to do the same to the annoying nine-tails seated across from him. "I was awakened by something happening outside the main entryway. When I investigated the girl was being attacked and I chose to intervene. I brought her in and the Count called Lee Sinhg to tend to her injuries."

Ten could tell the Totetsu was leaving something out, but he didn't really feel like pressing his luck with the growling creature. Realizing he'd forgotten something, he gasped. "Damn! I forgot to tell the Count about that!" he yelped.

Looking up from the counter where he was carefully putting the girl's snack on a plate, Tetsu was surprised at the shock that lit Ten-chan's face. "What'd you forget?"

"T-chan, she _sees_ us! Or at least she saw _me_. She saw me the way you, or the Count, or Chris sees me. I forgot to mention it to Count D. I need to go find him so he knows. See ya!" Sprinting out of the kitchen, Ten-chan turned a corner and was quickly out of sight.

Looking into the sitting room, Tetsu abruptly changed his mind and picked up the plate himself. He had originally intended to have Chris take it to her, but after Ten's statement, he wanted to test the girl's ability. If she could see through his other form to the truth beneath, then he could honestly say it was a good thing he'd rescued her. Grunting in annoyance, he realized that although Ten had met her, he hadn't thought to pass along her name. Sticking his head into the sitting room, he quickly asked Pon-chan to keep an eye on Chris.

Finding his way to the library he stuck his head in the doorway and looked around, spotting the girl sitting in one of the few armchairs D kept around the place. She had curled up into a ball with her feet on the edge of the cushion and a thick leatherbound volume braced on her knees, staring so intently at the pages of the book that she paid no attention to the soft sounds Tetsu made as he slid over to the massive, tan colored chair and the small round table beside it. Looking over her shoulder briefly informed him she was reading some sort of fantasy

"Hey! Wake up, little girl." he barked. She started and dropped the book as a wince crossed her face from the abrupt movement.

"What the hell was that for?!" she exclaimed in return as she tried to bend over far enough to reach the book now on the hardwood floor. She had felt better after crying on Ten's shoulder, and much clearer in the head. Now that she was certain she was fairly safe in this place, she was reverting rather quickly to her more usual attitude. Hissing as the stitches in her side pulled painfully, she finally managed to snatch the book from the floor and sat back up, ready to bury herself in her best-loved story. With practiced fingers, she found her page again and used a finger to mark her place, while she turned to look at Tetsu.

She was completely arrested by the sight that greeted her eyes. A tawny haired young man stood watching her from out of amber eyes, dressed in a blue vest embroidered with the outlines of clouds in white, which showed off his toned and tanned midsection quite well, and a pair of loose, plain white pants. He was barefoot, she noted, but his ankles were adorned with heavy gold bracelets about two inches wide. As her eyes traveled back up his body, she noticed that identical bracelets were on his wrists and his upper arms. Finally coming back to his face, her eyes completely bypassed everything else to focus on the pair of spiraling goat horns that rose out of the wavy, tousled mess of hair. "Goat horns?" she blurted. Then a moment later, "Well, I suppose it's no weirder than a man with fox tails," she murmured, and turned back to her book with a last dismissive look at the Totetsu.

Looking shellshocked for the space of half a breath, Tetsu put the plate down on the side table and cocked his head at her. It seemed that Ten-chan's words proved correct. She really _could_ see their true forms. Taking a second to analyze her as she had him, he saw a small young woman, certainly several inches shorter than him, with dark golden brown hair and matching eyes. She had a heart-shaped face with full lips and a small nose. She was slightly underweight, but he could feed her up fairly quickly. "You're still wearing the nightgown?"

Wrinkling her nose, she looked over at Tetsu and lifted an eyebrow. "It's what I woke up wearing, and seein' as no one has offered me anything else, so yes, I am. What's it to ya?"

He sighed. "I'll see what the Count says. He may have someone go get you something better. Eat, and don't try to move about outside this room. By the way, what's your name?"

"Ronan Ransom. And yes, it's intentional."

He blinked, not understanding what she was referring to. "Right. Whatever. Listen, if you ever want something to eat, come ask me. I'm Tetsu and I'm in charge of the kitchen. Don't take anything out of it without my permission, or suffer an ugly fate." Raising a hand in a dismissive wave, he turned and walked out the door, intent on finding D.

He didn't have far to go, for as soon as he opened the door Count D was there, several of the shop's other inhabitants close behind.

Looking at the girl with a very intent expression, Count D merely gestured to the others to stand next to the Totetsu. Striding forward he tapped the book to gain Ronan's attention. "Excuse me."

Closing the book with a sigh, she looked up at D and waited.

Deciding to come straight to the point he pulled a small footstool over to sit on while asking "Tell me, what did you see when you saw Ten-chan earlier? And, the truth, please."

Halting in the process of putting the book on the table next to the food, it slipped from her fingers and landed on the floor. "W-what do ya mean?"

"Ten-chan tells me you mentioned seeing that he has tails. Tell me what you saw. I must know as it will aid me in deciding what to do with you." Settling his hands on his lap he waited for her to speak.

"Ah ... well ... it's just ..." she stammered.

"I assure you that I can see what you have seen as well. If you did indeed see what I see, that is," D taunted subtlely

Ronan spluttered. "O' course I do! That man has _nine fox tails_! He has green eyes and red hair. And him over there has goat horns, fangs, and _claws_, for cryin' out loud! What kinda loony bin am I in?" She gestured toward the startled Totetsu.

In the shadows of the room lit only by the lamp on the table for reading, the other creatures who had followed the count in made shocked exclaimations. Ten-chan flushed and shrugged with a wry smile when several took sneaking glances at him. "The kind that may understand you better than even you yourself, dollface," he answered dryly.

D shot a silencing glare at him. "I am afraid Ten-chan may be correct. Have you had other such visions outside of my petshop?"

"Nah. Well, maybe. There've been a few times when I thought I saw something, but ... no one want to be seen as a crazy, so I didn' say a thing. A coupla' times I thought I saw fairies, ya know ... little people with wings ..." She trailed off.

"Hmm. Would it surprise you to dicover that all animals possess a human form in the minds of those rare humans who can see them?" the elegant Count asked.

Cocking her head at him, Ronan considered that. "So, mebbe what I were seein' was the birds?"

"Correct. I believe that is more than enough for now. I doubt your ability will stay a secret for long, so do not be surprised if many of the other inhabitants come to see you." Rising, Count D began to head for the door, quite ready to leave her to her own devices.

"Um, Count D? Before you go, could you at least tell me what they really are? Ten-chan and Tetsu, I mean," Ronan asked a little hesitantly.

"Ten-chan is a nine tailed fox, such as those found in Japanese myth. He has certain powers of shapechanging and misdirection. As for Tetsu ... I believe he can speak for himself. I am putting him in charge of seeing to your needs." Sweeping out of the library, D cast the now fuming Totetsu a quelling look. "She is under your protection now, T-chan. Do not fail."

The rest of the watchers trailed out behind him, the last one closing the door on Ronan, Tetsu, and Ten-chan. Coughing awkwardly, Ronan turned toward the other two with a question in her eyes that had nothing to do with what she said. "So ... Yahtzee, anyone?"

Snorting to hold back a burst of amazed laughter, Ten pulled up a few pillows from where they lay on the floor and lounged on them. "So, doll, how'd you get such an ability?"

Trembling in every limb, T-chan stifled a growl and spun on his heel. "I'll look for more suitable clothing for you, since it seems that it is now my duty," he tossed over his shoulder as he slammed the door behind him.

Frowning, Ronan heaved a sigh and shrugged. "What's his problem?"

Snickering, Ten-chan rearranged himself on his pillows. "He's not much of a one for responsibility. He likes Chris, so he's willing to take care of him, but he doesn't know you. So, he's mad that he got stuck with you. Though ... I can see why D would turn you over to him. He _is_ the one who rescued you." Slanting her an amused look, he pointed at her book and made it float to the table, neatly flipping open as it did. "Here, take this back and read until he gets back from rummaging in storage." Snuggling into his pillows he looked for all the world as though he had dropped right off into a nap.

Staring at the snoring fox, she automatically took the book and opened it. Right back to where she had been, she noted dryly. So the storming Tetsu had rescued her, had he? He sure didn't act like it. Curious, she looked over at the door for a moment before shrugging and sticking her nose back in her book.

Growling under his breath, Tetsu yanked open one of the storage chests, hoping to find something in the heaps of stuff that had been given to D over the centuries that would fit the new resident. He knew where all the clothing was kept, so that narrowed down his search. Pulling out a light, silk shift he set it aside and looked through the stacks of other things, finally finding a pair of loose legged white pants made from heavy silk-like cotton and a short-kimono in crimson embroidered with white cranes and a few scattered green leaves. He put the shift back in the chest and located a white under-kimono. Looking at his selections he nodded to himself. The colors would work, he decided. Lastly he reached in and carefully pulled out a matching obi in white and green. He was fairly certain she wouldn't know how to tie it, but figured one of the females could help her with it.

Tossing the rest of the stuff back into the chest, he bundled his choices into his arms and closed up the storage closet. Much to his surprise, outside the room was the Great Hawk, Entai, who smiled enigmatically at him. "The shop is all a twitter with news, Tetsu-chan. They are saying that we have a new permanent resident, a human," she said in a soft tone.

Glaring at her, T-chan stalked right past her deftly avoiding the hadn she tried to halt him with. "Yeah, so what?" he demanded when she chose to follow him.

She laughed. "The whispers say that you rescued her from an attack. How unlike our beloved Totetsu!" She exclaimed gaily.

Reluctantly smiling at Entai's attitude about all that was happening, he sighed through his nose. "She can see us, Entai-san. The same way Chris does," he offered in an attempt to change the subject.

"Well, this is certainly unexpected!" she replied, eyes wide and startled.

Snorting, he cast her a disparaging glare. "The Count collects all sorts of interesting things. The idiot Detective is the only one that's defective. Chris is tolerable, for a human." Finally stopping at the door to the Library, he eyed Entai for a moment. "The Count has put her in my care for the moment." He hesitated. "But ... I believe she would eventually like a female to talk to."

Frowning at the revelation, Entai nodded, understanding. "I will see to it."

Quietly opening and closing the door, Tetsu vanished into the Library.

Ten-chan watched the girl through slitted eyes, not even looking away when Tetsu returned, a small bundle of cloth under his arm. "Don't bother," he whispered. "She's asleep. She must be exhausted, poor thing."

Setting the clothes on a nearby stool, Tetsu bent down to pluck the book from sleep-limp fingers and place it on the table. Shaking his head, he retrieved a small blanket and placed it over her.

"How touching, T-chan!" sniggered Ten.

"Might I remind you that she is injured and recovering? I take my responsibilities seriously, unlike certain foxes who have no regard for anything beyond their own personal desires." The words were sharp, but Tetsu spoke without heat.

"It's my nature," quipped Ten.

"I am aware," Tetsu said dryly as he laid out the clothes for her. She could put them on when she woke, he figured. He looked at Ten. "Are you staying here?"

Nuzzling into his pile of pillows, which seemed to have grown from the last time T-chan had seen it, Ten sighed happily. "Yup. She needs someone to keep an eye on her right now, and you have other duties." He yawned. "Just bring me something to eat later, 'kay?"

Staring with displeasure at Ten, the Totetsu huffed. "I will if you would be willing to hold back your usual perversity and help her with the obi without lettng your hands or attention wander."

Waving a hand from his position on the floor, Ten yawned again and smiled. "Sure, no problem."

Resisting the urge to throttle the fox, T-chan slipped out of the room and trotted back toward the recieving room. He really did have other things to do, not the least of which, on his list, was giving the Detective his daily bite.


	4. Chapter 4

**Predator and Prey**

_Disclaimer: Petshop of Horrors not mine, someone else's. I just wished I lived there. Also, Lee Sinhg, Coyote, and Entai are the sole property of Akita and Subu-chan, who have graciously allowed me to write my own fic that ties in with their PSOH fics. Any other characters from any other series that may pop up also belong only to their respective companies._

Co-authored by: Kita and Subu-chan.

**Chapter Four:**

Sadly, Tetsu did not get his chance to bite the Detective as he had already come and gone. Count D told him he missed the pair only by a few minutes. "How is Ronan?" D asked a few minutes later.

Growling slightly under his breath, he said, "She's asleep in the library. Ten's watching over her, also napping. I've left her a change of clothes, since she doesn't have any. She should be fine for now."

"Very good."

"I've asked Entai to let Ronan to bend her ear should she need it."

Cocking his head at the Totetsu in astonishment, D considered it for a moment. Nodding in understanding after a second of consideration, he smiled. "I believe Entai could do the girl some good. After what she has suffered, I would think she would want _someone _who would allow her to cry without judgment. Although, it seems Ten-chan does well in a pinch," he said with a light laugh.

"Ten-chan?"

"It is how I found her after she had left her room. She was on the floor, crying in Ten-chan's arms. He called me to help her." Laughing, he smiled, a bit of incredulity in his tone. "Our dear fox seemed rather out of sorts, or perhaps, as Detective Orcot would say, out of his league!"

Snorting, Tetsu had to smile at that picture. He never thought he'd see a day when that fox couldn't charm his way out of a spot. Yet one emotionally distraught female had him panicking. Shaking his head, he observed, "Ten-chan has never met anything that balked him. It was high time."

"You are correct in that, T-chan. Check on our guest in two hours, if you would. I wish to see how her injuries are doing and administer the medicine Lee Sinhg left for her." Turning gracefully on his heel, D glided out of the room.

Left to his own devices for the day, save for the girl, Tetsu decided to find Saabra and Jabor and go hunting with them. Without Chris to watch, his hours were his to do with as he pleased. Glancing at Pon-chan, Tetsu grinned at her and licked his lips.

"Going hunting, I assume?" she asked, sounding much older than she looked for once. She grinned back at him. "Have fun."

Break

Unfolding from her current position was rather difficult, Ronan noted on waking. All of her wounds protested the slightest movement, and her muscles seemed to be locked in place. Groaning, she tried to at least straighten out her legs, hissing when the scabs on her skinned knees broke open with a spark of pain.

"That was so not the best position to fall asleep in," Ten informed her dryly, his body lost somewhere in the mountain of pillows that he lay on. "Would you like some help, doll?"

"Stop calling me doll. I'm not your girlfriend or anything else similar," she huffed at him. "And yes, I would appreciate some help."

Looking surprised for the space of half a second, Ten-chan scrambled to his feet and then carefully helped Ronan straighten out her legs and her back, so that she was at least sitting upright. "Feel better after a nap, Ronan?"

She smiled dazzlingly at him through a yawn. "Yes, although the injuries are beginning ta hurt. And I'm really hungry."

Smirking at her, he nodded to the covered plate on the table. "Don't worry about that. T-chan may be a cold bastard, but he knows food. I bet there's nothing under there that would go bad after just a couple of hours. Take a look. I smell cheese at the very least."

Pulling the cover off the plate, she was happy to discover that the only thing on the plate that was turning brown was the unfortunate apple that had born the brunt of Tetsu's displeasure with the fox. For the rest, there was cheese, as Ten had predicted, as well as crackers, salami, and a bunch of grapes. "I see what you mean." With a happy sigh she dug into the food that was so generously provided.

Ten waited until she had a mouthful of food before gesturing over at the neatly laid out outfit. "T-chan raided stores for you. It's all laid out for you. It's Japanese in origin, although I think the top was originally intended for a man, since it's not a full-length kimono. Tetsu was of the opinion the only thing you'd need help with was the obi."

Glancing up from her food, she looked at the pile of clothing with wide eyes. Brushing off her fingers as best she could, she pushed herself up out of the chair, gulping convulsively as pain seared through her. Looking down on the clothes, she reached out to touch it then jerked her fingers back with shock written all over her face. "But ... this ... It's far to fine for some nobody like me," she said softly, looking up at Ten, wonderment in her eyes.

Shaking his head, the nine-tails gave her a gentle push in the direction of a small, shoji-style screen that sat in one corner of the room. "Man, they really did a number on your head, girly. D keeps everything given to him just for instances like this. As far as he's concerned they're yours now. And you're very welcome to them. He prefers the Chinese style, you may have noticed." Handing her the clothes from over the top of the screen he continued. "He probably won't mind if you gather a few more outfits like this, if you want to. He's ..." Ten laughed. "Somewhat a traditionalist. Doesn't much care for current clothing styles. I don't know, I kinda like it. He'll be happy if you choose to wear this while here." Glad to hear the rustle of cloth as she pulled apart the outfit, he flinched slightly every time she whimpered, knowing she was likely in great pain.

"Um ... I don't have a bra..." she whispered.

Flushing, he thought for a moment. Well, in for a penny, in for a dollar, he thought. "What size?" he asked.

"I'm a 34c." She was grateful that he wasn't looking at her, since at the moment she was about the color of a tomato.

Focusing, he grumbled a few phrases under his breath and conjured the article of clothing she required, the hentai in him unable to resist adding a matching pair of underwear. "Here," he said, tossing both over the screen. Hearing the sounds of clothing being donned, he lounged against the chair she had been sitting in. Behind him a welcome and familiar voice spoke up.

"For shame, fox. Are you not going to offer her aid?"

Grinning cheekily at the Great Hawk, Ten lifted an eyebrow. "I doubt she would appreciate my assistance at this moment, Entai-san. It would be better if you would help her. I am after all, male."

Slapping the fox upside the head with an amused laugh, the hawk brushed past him and slid around the edge of the screen. "Let me help you with that. I can see you are in terrible pain. I am Entai, little one."

Squeaking, Ronan tried to whirl around to face the newcomer. Instead a high pitched whine escaped her as stitches pulled painfully.

Rushing forward to steady her, the hawk noted how white her face was. "Come. Let me help you get dressed. You may ask your questions later." Deftly she pulled the sleeves of the over-kimono up over the white under-kimono and pulled it shut properly. Reaching for the obi, her practiced hands easily wound it around the girl's slender body, but instead of the more usual method of tying, she pulled it into a bow, thinking that it would be easier for the girl to handle on her own. "There. I see they forgot shoes or socks, but that will do for the time being. I doubt you will be going far." Pulling her from behind the screen, Entai smiled at her encouragingly. "Come, girl. You look lovely in that."

Finally stepping out into the light, Ronan blushed prettily as Ten's appreciative eyes roamed her as he whistled. "Well, who knew _that_ was hiding under the nighty?" he asked mischievously, smirking when her blush deepened to a nice crimson.

"Now, Ten, I believe you have someplace else to be?" Entai asked pointedly.

Putting his hands up in surrender, the fox bowed out, cowed by the dangerous look in the hawk's eyes. "Yeah, sure, no problem. I'll see if I can find her some shoes, or something ... um ... yeah." Sliding out the door, Ten gave a relieved sigh, glad that Ronan was in more capable hands now. He liked the hawk, but sometimes she gave him the willies!

Assisting Ronan over to her chair and the plate of food she had been interrupted from eating, Entai observed her from out of the corner of her sharp eyes. She was entirely too thin, she unhappily noted. And very flighty, like a hare that has realized it is being stalked. She would have to approach carefully as she didn't want to scare her. "As I said before, I am Entai. If you should ever wish to have someone to talk to, I am always available. Sometimes there are things that no female would want to discuss with a male. All you need do is seek me out. Now, I think it would be best if you were left to your own devices for a while. It must get frustrating to be followed everywhere you go here. Please, feel free to explore, although I would suggest limiting it a bit until your wounds have healed some." Sweeping out of the Library, she smiled enigmatically as she closed the door behind her.

Ronan just stared after her, dazed, and left with only an impression of the same harshly yellow eyes of an eagle. Nerveless fingers picked up the book while her other hand was absently adding cheese and salami to a cracker. As she nibbled on the cracker and topping, she glanced between her book and the door, finally deciding to put the book away and try to find her way back to her room. She knew she should have looked back at it when she left so she would know what it looked like, but at the time she ahdn't been sure she was safe. Now though … It was an odd feeling, being so welcomed and cared for.

Leaving the book on the table with the remains of the food, except for a final piece of cheese she snagged to nibble on as she walked, she stuck her head out of the door and slipped out into the myriad of hallways, her steps slow and careful, always mindful of her injuries.

Around a nearby corner, Entai and Ten watched as she walked away, the hawk nodding in satisfaction. "Good. It would do her no good to stay cooped up in the Library. She should get used to her altered existence."

"So, you _planned_ that?" Ten asked incredulously.

She grinned at him. "Of course! She needed a bit of a shock to get her mind moving again. Let's leave her be, for now, fox. She needs some time alone. Although, I wonder if it has occurred to you that she is never really alone in this place. Word has already spread of the Count's new acquisition. They will not harm her, only watch." Turning sharply on her heel, she strode briskly away, leaving Ten blinking after her.

Within fifteen minutes, Ronan was completely lost in the maze of hallways and she was beginning to tire. Sitting down, she heaved a sigh and suddenly the scent of a late, warm winter hit her in the face. A draft worked it's way down her spine, leaving her with goosebumps from the chill. Looking around for the source of the chill breeze she noted a slightly open doorway a bit further down the hall. Sneaking down to it, she stuck her head in and had to clutch at the doorjam to keep her knees from falling out from beneath her.

Spread before her was a physical impossibility. A vast rolling plain, half covered in snow stretched out before her as far as her eyes could see. Taking a few timid steps further in, she gasped as a breeze from the side blew the door shut behind her. Breathing a sigh of relief, she gathered her courage and pressed on, wondering where on earth she could be, if something like this was really stuck inside a petshop. A slight sound snapped her attention to her right just before she was nearly bowled over by a very large … lion cub? At least that was what it looked like. Except for the overgrown fangs. Right under her eyes, it resolved itself into a small boy dressed only in a fur loincloth. Who happened to be pouting rather adorably.

"Ya' was supposed to fall over, lady," he complained. "I'm huntin' and I smelled you an I figgered ya was somethin new ta hunt. Tetsu's allus doin stuff like that, bringun us some new things ta eat."

Slowly lowering herself to the ground she stared at the boy, who just a moment ago had been a lion cub of some sort. Shaking away the shock, she had to smile at the adorable little boy. "No, I'm afraid not. I'm lost actually, out in the hallways, I mean. I saw your door open and thought to look in and see what was here."

"Oh, so you ain't somethin to eat, lady?"

"No." That stern voice she recognized. Just a few steps away stood Tetsu, frowning hard at her. "Enough, Jabor. Go find your sister, now." Though phrased as an order, there was something almost soft in his tone. "I thought you were in the Library," he told her.

"Well, I was, until I woke up. Then Ten made me get dressed with the help of someone else, whose name I don't remember." Ronan laughed, feeling as if some great weight had been lifted in the short time the woman had been talking to her. "She was kinda like a hurricane. Stirred everything up and vanished." 

"Entai. Yes, she can be … disturbing to those who don't know her. You said something about being lost?" Inwardly T-chan was growling at himself for losing track of time, himself. He had been having such fun with the tiger cubs, he hadn't noticed the change in time.

She nodded. "I was trying to find my way back to my room. But I got tired and then I felt a breeze coming from this place and investigated. Jabor, right? He says you're teaching him to hunt." She paused. "If you don't mind my asking, _what_ is he?"

Sitting down, since she seemed rather inclined to talk instead of panic, Tetsu nodded shortly. "Him and his sister. And they're Sabertooth Tigers."

Gaping seemed to be fast becoming a favorite pastime for her here. So many strange things she now needed to get used to. But this? Long extinct felines that made lions look small? How was it even possible?

T-chan grunted at the look on her face. "We don't know either," he offered.

"Huh?" she asked intelligently.

"You were wondering how they came to be here, weren't you? We don't know how either."

Jabor and a little girl raced up and pounced on Tetsu, laughing like loons. It was clear they adored their Tetsu, and she had to hide a smile at the picture the taciturn man made with two small children crawling all over him. So the children were really the human forms of Sabertooth Tigers? Big deal, she said to herself. Blinking, she realized she still didn't know what Tetsu was. "Um … Tetsu? Can I ask what you are?"

Looking up from his play with the cubs, he gave her a strange look. "Are you sure you wish to know?"

She nodded.

Putting the children down, he stood and offered her a hand. "Saabra, Jabor, this one is never to be attacked if she comes in here. Her name is Ronan. Remember it," he told them sternly. The two children nodded eagerly.

"Can we play with her if she comes to visit like you do?" piped up Jabor.

Lips twitching, he thought for a moment, then looked at her. She knew the pair were predators, so she should have some sort of idea what "play" was. She nodded, seeing the question in his eyes and the slight worry in his face. "Only if you are gentle with her. She is not food, and damages easily. Come with me, Ronan. I'll show you back to your room." He pulled her out the door and into the hallway. Then he turned on her, shaking with suppressed anger. "You should be more careful! There are many in this place that would just as soon eat you as look at you." Marching off in the direction of her room he looked back over his shoulder and snapped, "Are you coming?"

After walking for several minutes without Tetsu saying a single word, Ronan began to take surrepititious looks at him, shivering inside at the ... _intense_ ... look on his face. "Um ... Tetsu?"

He didn't even look at her. "What, girl?"

Glowering, she halted in place and _growled_ at him. It sounded funny coming from a human throat, but still, she growled at him.

Hearing her low vocalization, he turned back, surprised at the anger on her face. "Is there a problem?"

Seething, but understanding where the anger was coming from, she had to restrain herself from physically attacking him because of her injuries. "Don' call me girl, or any other degrading nickname you can come up with," she hissed at him. "I got enough o' that _there_, an' I won't take it here. Now," she said, quite a bit more calmly. "Are you goin' ta answer my question or not? What are you?"

Sighing, realizing there was no possible way for him to avoid it any longer, he looked up the hall, a distant look in his eyes. "I am a Totetsu. One of the last of my kind."

Confusion spread itself across her face. "Okay ... What_ is _a Totetsu?"

Crossing his arms over his chest, he stared at her until she began to feel uncomfortable. Eventaully, he snorted and turned away. "A Totetsu is a creature found most often in Chinese myth. A man-eater in most cases, but a household protector, as well, in some of the stories. A Totetsu can be either. I am a predator, that's why I'm teaching Saabra and Jabor to hunt. That's all you need to know. Come on, your room is up this hall."

Shocked, she followed him for a few steps, considering what he had said. A man-eater? _Had he ... _no, she didn't want to consider it. Whatever he may have done in the past, she would judge him by what she _saw_ of him here. As she thought, Tetsu came to a sudden halt and she bumped into him. "Oh! I'm sorry."

"This is your room."

Looking up, she gasped at the image on the door, an image whose twin she had seen sketched somewhere in her family papers. Weak knees giving way , she collapsed on the floor ... staring up at the impressive carving. "It's true," she whispered.

Worried, T-chan sat on his haunches and nibbled on his lip. "What is true?"

"It's all _true_," she whispered again. "Every word of my family history ... Everything I've read ... It's only the truth ... I ... I always thought dad was a bit off, you know. I mean ... Who would believe such a story?" Wide eyes stared at T-chan, deep brown gone even darker with shock.

"Family history ... ? Never mind. Let's get you into bed. D will be by soon to check your wounds." Lifting her proved an easier task than he thought, her weight slighter than he could have imagined. Pushing open the door, he kicked it closed behind him and gently set her on the bed, getting more and more agitated the longer she remained in shock. Finally the door opened and they both jumped as Count D strolled in laden with a tea tray.

Before either of the two men could say a word, Ronan struggled to her feet to point a shaking finger at D. "Where did _you_ get that door?"

Frowning, he looked between the girl and the door before smiling slightly. He set the tray aside and sat on the bed. "It was a gift from a king many years ago. Why do you ask, Ronan?"

"That door was a wedding present to one of my ancestors. It was stolen from them not long before she died."

Chappie 4 done! (Yays!!!! Where's chapter five? giggles) Kita! I haven't even started writing it! Subu-chan, put a leash on her, would you? pouts Give me _some_ credit, guys! It'll be started as soon as I get some reviews on this one.


	5. Chapter 5

**Predator and Prey**

_Disclaimer: Petshop of Horrors not mine, someone else's. I just wished I lived there. Also, Lee Sinhg, Coyote, and Entai are the sole property of Akita and Subu-chan, who have graciously allowed me to write my own fic that ties in with their PSOH fics. Any other characters from any other series that may pop up also belong only to their respective companies._

Co-authored by: Kita and Subu-chan.

_Chapter Five:_

Silence descended on the three after Ronan's declaration. Even as her body trembled with exhaustion, she fought to stay on her feet and facing Count D. Her eyes never wavered; the determined spark in them a blaze of light. Finally, D sighed and gently pulled her back to the bed, urging her to sit. "I must say, that is a most disturbing statement. I'm given to understand the one who bestowed this upon my grandfather was a regional lord of some sort in ancient Ireland. Perhaps you could tell us of its origins, as even he did not know the full story."

Crossing her arms over her chest, she turned and stared at the far wall, blindly tracing the patterns in the vines painted on the wall. "Fine," she said softly. "But you have to understand, this is only the truth so far as it is written down in the family records."

Huffing, T-chan leaned against a wall. "As in, it may not be the complete truth?" he asked sarcastically.

"No!" She shot back. "All of this was written down by the one it happened to. That journal has been handed down from generation to generation. When my father died, it and a few other things, among them a sketch of the door, were given to me, so '_that I might know why things were done a certain way'_ in my family." Her words had the sound of something heard so often that it had become rote.

"The Irish have always taken pride in their past history," observed D soothingly. "It is not so surprising that such records were kept through the years. But, please continue."

"Now, according to that journal, five hundred years ago the first of our family line fell in love ..."

"Like that really matters," snorted Tetsu.

"You shut up," she snapped back, spearing him with an angry glare. "Anyway, he fell in love and the one he fell in love with loved him just as much. However, there was a slight problem... She was ... She was a selkie, one of the seal-people. Nevertheless, after a great deal of pleading and arguing, both with the people of the village he lived in and her family, they were allowed to wed. The villagers and the selkie clan made a bit of a trade off, I'm given to understand, the selkies would lead the villagers to the fish schools and the humans would not hunt seals in return. According the journal, the pair had a private agreement, that he would never prevent her from returning to the sea when she was called, and she would always return to him when the call was satisfied."

"Very even-handed," noted Count D softly.

"Yeah. So, everyone was happy. The village always had plenty of fish and the selkies could come and go as they pleased without fearing for their lives. Many years passed and the couple had several children. One day she went to visit her family in the sea and he had to go out in the fishing boats, leaving the oldest child in charge of the younger ones. When the selkie returned to their home, the children were gone and there was a note left in the house. Apparently the source of the village's good luck on the sea had been discovered by the neighboring Lord. Since the village was outside of his lands, he wanted control over the one responsible for it and demanded that she turn her selkie skin over to him or he would kill the children."

The sound of a vicious snarl rippled through the room and Ronan looked up, startled. "T-chan?" she asked.

"The children?" The words were only barely recognizable through the growl in the Totetsu's voice. His posture was one of barely suppressed violence and D raised a hand to still him.

"Yes." Ronan continued her narrative, staring at Tetsu in wonder. "She could not let any harm come to her children, so she took her skin and gave it to the Lord but only after he released her children. They took the story of what had happened to their father and village, but by the time they were able to act, it was too late. The selkie was dead, having taken her own life rather than be used against those she cherished most. The man was heartbroken, and threw himself in to the sea after his children were grown, by the definition at those times. The eldest, a boy, took the surname Ransom and named his first-born Ronan, swearing that his mother's sacrifice would never be forgotten, and that every first born in his line would be named Ronan. I am the last of the family. I do have a distant cousin, Mitchell, but he's only sixteen and not even of the main line. But anyway, the point is, that door was carved by the selkies and was their wedding gift to the pair."

After a moment of silent, but for the soft growls of the Totetsu, contemplation of the implications of Ronan's story, Count D made a sudden noise of understanding. "I see. Is it possible that you still possess this journal? I would very much like to see it. Also, this explains something which I have sensing from you."

"From me?" She looked confused and uncertain of D as she watched him pour a cup of tea from a small pot and handed it to her.

"Indeed. You have about you an aura of magic. I would say after hearing this that you may have no _active _magic, but the blood of your selkie ancestress runs quite strongly in you. It _would _explain how you have been able to see the other's true forms. After so many generations, it is surprising to see it so strong that it would affect your basic makeup. Hmmm ... " Trailing off in thought, Count D took no notice of Tetsu sliding up on her left.

T-chan, for his part, had finally gotten control of his desire to rip something to shreds. "Well, it certainly explains your _smell_," he said sardonically, through the undercurrent of rigidly controlled anger.

"My smell?"

"Yeah. You smell like ..." He moved close enough to stand over her and sniffed, his nose almost buried in her hair. "Ocean and heather. Rather odd for a human, to say the least."

"Odd? How so?" She asked, sipping the tea, now that it had cooled sufficiently.

"Most humans do have their own personal smell, but every human also has a scent of ... well ... death I guess. You all smell like you're all dying."

"Well, in a way, we are. Every human is dying, slowly."

"You do not have this smell," said D absently, still lost in thought.

"What he said," said Tetsu, grinning at D's absorption in his thoughts. "I'm not Ten-chan so don't take this wrong, but could you take off the top so we can get a look at how your wounds are healing? By the way, that tea is medicine. Lee Sinhg, that's the doctor who put you back together, left it for you. It's probably the same stuff he left for the idiot Detective when he got injured in that explosion a few weeks ago."

"Detective?" she asked, perking up enough to stare him in the eye.

Tetsu nodded, grimacing. No matter what D said, he doubted he would ever like the human. Orcot just rubbed him the wrong way. "Yeah. He stops by here fairly often. There's a little boy who pretty much lives here, Chris. The Detective is his brother. Right now, they're out at the beach, as it's his day off." Tetsu stepped away from her, looking like he'd bitten into something sour once he saw her face. It was bright with interest, the slight tuck of her lip telling him she was biting it.

"I … I really … should talk to him. About what happened to me, I mean," she said looking away from him, an expression of distress melting away the interest.

D looked at the two for a minute. "I believe that can be arranged, my dear. Come, let us see to the wounds, then we have things we need to do before we close the shop."

"Do you want any help?" she asked as she carefully let the top of her kimono drape lower on her back so he could see the injuries she had sustained.

The earnest question caught him off guard. "Ah, no, I don't think that will be necessary. But if you wish to, you may assist T-chan on his rounds. It would be an excellent way for you to meet the other residents in a controlled manner." He completely ignored Tetsu's outraged look. "I heard about your encounter with Saabra and Jabor. It is fortunate that they are as yet youngsters," he said as he ran gentle fingers over the stitches, after having taken the light bandages off. "These are healing nicely. Lee Sinhg does excellent work." D replaced the bandages and gently assisted her in pulling her kimono back into place. Rising with boneless grace, Count D turned to the once again fuming Totetsu, with a smirk. "See to it that she is never mistaken for food by any of the others. If she is to remain here for any length of time, we can not have our meat-eating friends assume she is part of the menu."

Spluttering, T-chan was unable to make a coherent response as D let himself out of the room, and much to his dismay, Ronan was giggling softly as she resettled her clothing into its proper places. "I guess you're coming with me, then?" he asked rhetorically as she finally gained control of her laughter.

"Sure, why not?" She giggled again. "I have to say, the look on your face at having to "babysit" was just priceless! It was just about the perfect mix of disgust, outrage, and resignation! Wonderful!" It occurred to her that perhaps she should not be feeling so comfortable with these people, but after so long without one, something about this whole place screamed "home" to her. It felt like … like perfect safety, perfect contentment. The one place where she would always be surrounded by those who were friends. T-chan in particular gave her a feeling of … for lack of a better word, relaxation. Like she was able to let her guard down, and let someone else protect her for a change, rather than being the one doing the protecting. Here... she didn't have to be the strong one.

Shaking off her rather dark thoughts, she yawned and scrunched her shoulders together. With a half-smile twisting her lips she staggered slightly to her feet and blinked a few times before fixing T-chan with a pointed look that said "lead the way, kimosabi!".

Wrinkling his nose at the girl, Tetsu stalked with feline grace to the door and held it open for her in a rare show of courtesy. "Coming?"

Sticking her tongue out at him she shuffled as fast as she could to the doorway. She was tired, sure, but she wanted to see more of this strange place she was now allowed to call home, even if only temporarily. "So where to first?"

Growling out a sigh, he ran a somewhat distracted hand through his tawny-bronze colored hair. "I suppose we'd best start with Zeriah, she's a hippogryph, by the way."

"Not a gryphon? I thought they were the same?" she asked.

Tetsu shook his head, reminding himself to be patient with her. Humans were so very blind to differences until those differences became too much to ignore. "No. A hippogryph and a gryphon are two separate species, but they are similar. The difference is that a hippogryph is the offspring of a gryphon and a horse. They were never numerous, and only very rarely bred amongst themselves. Zeriah is one of only about twenty or so that still exist today." He looked over his shoulder at Ronan. "Like so many other creatures, selkies among them, humans have hunted them to near extinction. The Count's trying to convince a few of the others to relocate here, to protect them, but most don't want to give up their territory; they're much like lions in that respect. Zeriah was injured and D took her in. After she healed, she chose to stay." He turned a corner and then reached back to grasp her hand, tugging her along. "This way. Zeriah prefers to stay out of the way. Her injuries were the result of a fire, and in some places her feathers and fur never grew back. Whatever you do, _don't _stare, she gets nasty when people do."

She giggled at him. "You sure talk a lot when you find a topic you like. Otherwise you seem to clam up and talk about as much as a rock." She smiled at him when he turned an icy glare on her. "It's kinda cute."

The glare faded and confusion took its place on his face. "I'm only telling you what you need to know."

Shoving him playfully, a bright twinkle in her eyes, she said, "But that's the most words I've heard you string together all at once. Well, when you're talking ta _me_ anyway." Putting her forefinger up to his forehead, she poked him gently. "Seriously, we should at least make an effort ta get along, you know. So what else can you tell me about Zeriah?" She was making quite an effort to supress her accent, something she'd very concious of ever since arriving in the United States. So far it was working, so long as she didn't get too upset. Maybe the medicine was helping in that, she thought, cause right now she'd never felt better, injuries and all. She giggled again at the look on her companion's face.

He stared at Ronan, not really quite sure what to make of someone so ... accepting of the strange. Then again, considering her own family history, she probably had quite a shock buffer for what she'd see here. He supposed that after finding out you weren't entirely human, anything else would seem almost normal. Turning on his heel, he lead the way further into the depths of the petshop, intent on introducing her to as many of the inhabitants as possible.

Break

Lowering herself carefully into a chair in the reception room, Ronan groaned in mock suffering. Casting a pout at the Toteteu, she complained, "I am _not_ going to try to do that again for a few days. You could have warned me we'd be walking for _miles_!" She shook a finger at him, smiling to let him know it was all in fun. And it _had _been fun, even if her injuries didn't agree. She'd never seen so many strange and wondrous things in all her life.

"You didn't ask. If you had told me sooner that you were getting tired I would have returned you sooner," Tetsu huffed at her. Sliding around the chair she sat on, he headed for the kitchen, knowing it was time for another cup of her medicine. To his surprise, he found Count D already there, his hands busily preparing a small fruit salad. "Yo."

Looking back over his shoulder, D smiled at his Totetsu, his mismatched eyes sparkling. "Hello Tetsu. How did the introductions proceed?"

He shrugged. "Well enough, I suppose. Rikoda was actually rather happy to see her."

D's hands stilled instantly. Very carefully he turned to glare Tetsu, feeling very cold. "You took her to see the basilisk?" he asked softly, coldly.

Leaning against the counter, T-chan faced D, crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't really see the problem. Rikoda behaved himself admirably, and promised not to eat her if she would visit."

Taking a deep breath to calm his anger, D put the knife he had been holding down and stalked out of the kitchen. "She is not to visit him on her own. Not until I'm certain she is safe from him." he cast over his shoulder in command.

With a heavy sigh, Tetsu stepped up the the last remains of the fruit D had been cutting up, deciding to finish the salad for him rather than let the food go bad. He hadn't been quite entirely truthful to D. _All_ of the others had been pleased to meet her, a few taking to her warm personality like wet on water. Zeriah had even let Ronan stroke her tawny-gold feathers, something she allowed no one save the count to do. Some of them were so lonely that they would take kindness and friendship from even a part-blood human. And that same warmly infectious charm was even working on him, despite all he did to ward it off. Whatever else was to happen from here, he was certain with her around nothing would ever be the same.

Chapter End

So chapter five is done. It will probably take me longer to get the next few chapters out, since they're gonna be hopping all of the timeline. So enjoy this and REVIEW!!! Lots o' Luv Sesshy81


	6. Chapter 6

**Predator and Prey**

_Disclaimer: Petshop of Horrors not mine. I just wished I lived there. In addition, Lee Sinhg, Coyote, and Entai are the sole property of Akita and Subu-chan, who have graciously allowed me to write my own fic that ties in with their PSOH fics. Any other characters from any other series that may pop up also belong only to their respective companies._

Co-authored by: Kita and Subu-chan.

_Chapter Six:_

Predictably, the Detective threw a fit when he discovered that D had taken in a human. The moment he walked in the door and saw her sipping tea with the Count and talking to that weird goat-thing, he _knew_ something was up. After she told her story though, he could understand why she'd choose to stay were she knew without a doubt that she was safe and wanted. Moreover, even he had to admit that when D chose to protect something, there wasn't any better protector in the world. He knew, first-hand, that D's wrath was terrible when roused. In addition, D did seem rather fond of the girl; for all that he'd only known her for less than a day.

Ronan, now she was a mystery. He didn't really understand how she could be so calm about everything that had happened to her. Every now and then, during the telling of her story, her face would go completely blank, while her toes buried themselves in Tetsu's fur, and only her eyes would tell him what she might possibly be thinking. He supposed that everyone had his or her own way of dealing with trauma. He'd seen some that break down totally, and others who would lash out at everything around them. Her, though ... she was ... like water, he guessed. Absorbing the force of the blow, or just flowing around the obstacle in front of it. Time would wear the bulk of it away. Leon made damn sure he was going to help her, though, by catching the bastards that had done this to her. Glancing at her from out of the corner of his eye, he lifted a brow when she giggled and gave Tetsu a shove that rolled him over where he lay on the plush carpet at their feet.

Tetsu gave her an offended glare as he rolled himself back over onto his feet. They'd explained to her already that the detective couldn't see their human forms, but she still insisted on treating them as she saw them, as more than just animals. It was earning her a few strange looks from Orcot, the same ones he still gave to D on occasion. He shook his head mentally. She was certainly a strange one, and he knew without a doubt that she would leave her mark on the shop, much as Chris was. He smirked when he remembered leading her into the dens or lairs of the more dangerous creatures. Even knowing what they were, she showed no fear, although she had been nervous. Some of the most deadly creatures in the world and she had treated them all with the same sort of affectionate charm she had shown the tiger twins. The one that stuck in his mind the most clearly was when Ronan had met Zeriah. They'd walked into her dimly lit den, taking a few minutes for the girl's eyes to adjust to the light and she still hadn't seen the six-foot tall creature curled on her nest. However, when she had realized it …. :

_As torches had suddenly flared up the pile of feathers in the darkest corner of the warm cave began to move, startling Ronan into an undignified squeak of surprise._

"Is this mere morsel my dinner, Totetsu? I could swallow this tiny creature in one gulp," she'd said with a laugh, as she uncoiled from her reclining position and rose gracefully to her feet.

He waved it off with a snort and tried to keep Ronan from hiding behind him. "No. Zeriah, this is Ronan. She's going to be staying here for a time, and D wanted me to show her around." Giving the suddenly shy girl a shove forward, Tetsu stepped to the side to watch.

Ronan was unable to keep from fidgeting nervously as she offered the hippogryph a slight bow. She nibbled on her lip before saying "Um … Hello." Looking up at the creature making her way toward her, she blinked as the eagle head blurred and resolved itself into a human appearance. Covering her from head to toe was a cloak of shimmering golden feathers.

"Greetings, Ronan. Welcome to the shop." Moving forward into the light, the hippogryph pulled her cloak of feathers closer about her.

A startled gasp made its way past the lump in the brown haired girl's throat. "Oh!"

Snapping her head up, Zeriah gave the girl a hard glare. "Are you disgusted, human? It was your kind that did this!"

She took a few steps forward. "No!" she exclaimed softly. "Not at all. You're _**beautiful**__! How could I think anything else?" The last had ended in a soft sound that might have been a sob._

Looking taken aback for the space of a heartbeat, she turned her back on the human. "You call me beautiful … for centuries I have been anything but … How can you see me and say I am beautiful?"

Taking the last few steps toward the nearly crying hippogryph, Ronan tentatively put a hand on her shoulder. "Beauty, they say, is only in the eye of the beholder. _**I**__ find you beautiful. Never have I seen feathers that shine as if each is a separate jewel, or throw their colors about like the light of the stars. Nor have I seen talons that seem made of purest gold."_

Tetsu was absolutely shocked. He hadn't expected such eloquence from someone so young. Yet, somehow, it seemed like she knew just what needed to be said. It was the kind of thing D would pull from time to time.

"Anyway, I am glad to meet you, Zeriah," she had continued. Smiling shyly she'd added, "I hope you can tell me a bit about your kind. Tetsu tells me there aren't many of you left."

Zeriah settled herself onto a tall rock nearby and gave the human girl before her a long searching look. Slowly she came to the realization that Ronan meant every word she'd said. Astonishment worked its way through her as slowly a smile began to light up her scarred face. "I would be glad to," she'd said. "Come; tell me something of yourself first …"

He was certain that if he'd allowed it, they would have spent the entire afternoon talking to each other. After he'd pulled her away from Zeriah, she'd met the others, the most important one being the one only called Grandmother. Her reaction there was pretty much typical of anyone who met Grandmother. It had been good for her, though. As expected, a few deft questions from Grandmother had her spilling her entire story and sobbing quietly into the ancient being's shoulder. He'd politely pulled away enough to give them some privacy, after a hard stare from Grandmother.

Looking up at the girl as she talked quietly with D while the last bit of twilight faded from the sky, he decided that maybe having her in the shop wouldn't be so bad. At least she was entertaining.

As the days crept by Ronan began to spend more time awake rather than sleeping. Her body was healing at a somewhat accelerated rate, thanks in part to the medicine left by the mysterious Lee Sinhg, who she had yet to meet, and in part to the careful handling of her by the others in the shop she saw the most of, D, Tetsu, Ten-chan, and Entai.

Often, though, she wondered at their easy acceptance of her. She'd not given them any real reason to trust her, yet they seemed willing to share everything with her. It boggled her mind sometimes. Even the usually loud-mouthed detective was being kind to her.

Within days of her arrival, D and Tetsu had learned that her favorite place in all of the shop was with Saabra and Jabor. The two children seemed to soothe something inside her. They in turn adored her, and in the first few days Ten-chan found himself wishing he had a camera, so as to add pictures to the "Fluffy Moment Hall of Shame" he was building in his head. The three were altogether too cute together. His favorite memory was looking in on them at one point and finding them curled up asleep in a big pile, the first peaceful smile he'd seen on her face curling the ends of her lips upwards. It was the first time he'd seen her asleep without the lines of pain etched into her face.

At the end of the first week, Leon dropped by, with Jill in tow, long enough to tell her that he'd be swinging by in the morning to pick her up. It seemed he'd finally been able to corner his Chief and give him the bare bones of her story. Through him, Leon had set up a meeting with OCD for the next day. She counted herself fortunate that her wounds had healed enough for her to move about without pain. Jill had also brought over a few things she was sure D wouldn't have thought of, like a hairbrush, and toothbrush and toothpaste.

Without much surprise on T-chan's part, whenever Ronan needed a shoulder she'd go, not to Entai, but rather to the usually pissy hippogryph, Zeriah. For some reason the two got along well together, and there was something about sharing their (somewhat) similar stories that helped them support each other. Both of them carried horrifying mental scars, and while Ronan's were less disfiguring than Zeriah's, even with Lee Sinhg's medicine, she would still carry more than a few purely physical scars from her ordeal.

Twice, while under the supervision of Ten-chan, she visited the basilisk that Count D had been so alarmed at her meeting. During her first visit with Tetsu, Rikoda had been playing a one sided game of shogi and she had asked how it was played in curiosity, only to find a clear board set up and waiting for her the next time she dropped by, Ten-chan in tow. With the two of them acting as coaches, she eagerly threw herself into learning the game. Her prior knowledge of chess came in handy, she was quick to learn, and the basilisk complimented her on using that as she played. She'd nearly glowed for several hours after that.

D merely watched all of it from a distance and nodded in satisfaction at the easy way she was fitting herself into the shop's extended "family", a small happy smile on his face. For once, a human was proving worthy of the time and attention bestowed on her. There was nothing artificial about her, nothing that was forced or fake. She was … genuine, yes, that was the word he was looking for. He was grateful she seemed to harbor no ill will towards the ones who had hurt her so. There _was_ a justifiable _anger_, certainly, but no hate or rage. He knew she had turned part of the blame on herself, and he had to admit, in a way she was correct. If it had not been for her own ignorance, she would not have been put in the position she had been in. D only wished she would not blame herself for what had happened when she had ended up at his doorstep. None of that was her fault. Watching with an amused smirk as she roughhoused a little, with Chris, Pon-chan, Ten, and T-chan just before dinner, though they were being very careful with her, he reached over absently to pick up the phone when it rang.

"Count D's"

"Good evening, D. How is my patient doing? Well, I hope."

"Lee Sinhg. It is good to hear from you. Yes, she is healing nicely. Right now, she is playing with Chris and a few of the others." Rising, D moved quickly to another room to make sure he wasn't over heard.

"Ah. Good. As long as she doesn't start bleeding again, that's fine. Would you be averse to me stopping by to check in? I meant to look in on her two days ago but certain more important matters came up. I felt that as long as she was with you all would be well."

"She is … recovering. Physically at least. I worry for her mind though. She seems to be holding up well enough, and there are many here who already care for her. Yet, I see flashes … instances that tell me much of her pain has simply been … submerged. It worries me."

A soft chuckle. "You would not be yourself if you were not. Is there anyone she spends an extraordinary amount of time with? Someone she likes above all the others?

A snort greeted that question, just before D began laughing quietly. "Oh indeed there is. Of all creatures to become attached to … the one she seems to spend the most time with is Tetsu. For all that he tries to act disturbed that a human likes him so much, I can tell he appreciates the attention. She often accompanies him when he goes hunting with Saabra and Jabor. "

"Huh. Now that is not something I would have expected. You may want to tell him how to handle it if she breaks down for him. Hmm. Have you discovered the origins of that odd aura about her? I was most curious when I detected it as I was treating her."

A long silence met Lee Sinhg's question and he was about to wave it off when D finally answered. "According to her family history, one of her ancestors was a selkie. Nevertheless, for that bloodline to run so strongly in one so far removed from the original … it is strange. She tells me that she has documentation hidden away for safekeeping. I believe she wishes to retrieve them at some point."

D could almost see Lee Sinhg cocking his head at him in mild surprise. "A selkie? Really? Interesting. I will have to investigate this when I come by. I will see you in a few minutes, D."

"Very…" D cut himself off when the dial tone sounded. Staring at the phone in his hand, he muttered to himself about the lack of courtesy from all of his closest acquaintances.

"Ronan, Doctor Lee Sinhg is on his way to check up on you," he said as he returned to the room the small group was playing in.

Looking up at him from their dog-pile, the dark-haired girl frowned. "Doctor Sinhg? You mean the guy who patched my hide up?"

"Lee Sinhg, yes. I thought you might wish to tidy up a bit before he arrives."

Pulling herself out from under T-chan, she swatted his head absently when he tugged on one of her long locks of hair. D watched the display of familiarity with a small smile. At least there was one person in his shop she was completely comfortable with. And despite the Totetsu's usually gruff exterior, he knew the young creature appreciated the attention. Particularly from such an attractive, if human, individual. Today she was wearing something similar to the first outfit that Tetsu had chosen for her, though the top was in a color he could only describe as blood-scarlet, that brightly jewel toned red that nearly glowed. It was about three shades darker than true red and shimmered slightly. Carefully embroidered with real scales and a touch or two of paint, was a large black and gold dragon. If he remembered correctly, that had been a gift from the Dragon King, but he wasn't going to say anything, given that she wore it better than he ever had. Plain, white hakama and a black obi embroidered with gold flames finished it out. The outfit was all silk, and whispered as she moved.

Much to his relief his guest had taken Ten-chan's advice to heart and, with a little help from the nine-tails, had chosen several more outfits from the clothing he kept in storage. Most of them seemed to be variation on the first set of clothes, although she avoided anything too feminine. Moreover, she seemed rather attached to the jewel-colors, as everything was in shades of sapphire blues, emerald greens and dark ruby reds. The most feminine thing she had chosen was a proper women's kimono, with all the proper layers no less (thanks to Ten-chan's help), in a vibrant violet, decorated with small sakura blossoms and snowflakes. He had yet to see her in it, but from Ten-chan's description, she was quite lovely in it. If he weren't so sure of Ten-chan's interest in his hawk, he'd worry that poor Entai would have some competition for the fox's heart. Ten loved beautiful things, and tried to horde anything that caught his eye away from anyone else's view. Even he had to admit his guest was an exquisite example of the human race when she was dressed appropriately.

Tugging the clothes straight, she ducked under Ten-chan's hand when it reached out to pat her on the head. Giving him a glare, she headed toward her room to brush out her hair, which had been messed up during their play. Even he had been surprised when the snarled mess he'd first seen had been combed out and neatly trimmed to the middle of her back. It had been longer, but the lack of care had given her some nasty split ends, and a few of the larger knots had had to be cut out. Now that the dark golden brown mass was clean, it shone with good health and life.

When she returned, hair neatly brushed and carefully tied back in a low ponytail with a red ribbon Pon-chan had given her, Lee Sinhg was sitting on the sofa with D and sipping tea while they chatted and the others were nowhere to be found. He was … odd. There was no other word for him. As soon as she entered the room, he looked up and smiled at her, pleased to note that she wasn't pale or sweating. Though he seriously doubted the D would have allowed her to wander about if that had been the case. "Please sit and join us," he invited, waving a hand at a chair.

Taking the indicated seat nervously, she watched as the two continued their prior discussion in Mandarin. It didn't really bother her that that they were using a language she didn't know, and even not knowing what they were saying it still sounded musical to her. Ronan found herself drifting, lulled into a doze by their conversation. She blinked owlishly at Lee Sinhg when he reached over and shook her shoulder. "Hmm?" she asked sleepily, her early morning and long day finally catching up to her.

He smiled and laughed. "Don't fall asleep on us. Why don't you lead me to your room and I'll take a look at you there? How are you feeling, by the way?"

"Umm," she began with a blush as the trio walked to her door. "I'm alright, I guess. I mean, they hurt a bit, sure; and I'm a little stiff, but other than that, I feel fine." She chuckled softly. "As T-chan can attest, there's nothing wrong with my appetite and even though I have nightmares sometimes, I'm still getting plenty of sleep. Though I'm beginning to wonder if someone has taken to climbing in with me after I'm out. I've begun to find warm spots in my blankets around my legs when I wake up."

Lee Sinhg choked back a snort and cast a glance at D, who shrugged and rolled his eyes. "Some of the younger inhabitants have taken to keeping her company while she sleeps, since she seems to sleep better with them around her."

"Ah. I see. So she is well-liked here, then?"

"More than she knows." D glanced at her face and smirked a little when he saw the blush spreading across her cheeks. He impishly decided to voice his earlier thoughts about Ten-chan. "And were Ten-chan's interest not so focused on Entai, I would worry that my dear hawk would have serious competition."

A startled gasp escaped her and she turned wide eyes on D with her hands covering her mouth. He tapped her nose. "Do not look so surprised. You have more than proven yourself worthy of his attention. He likes you, and cares about you. And, like any fox with a prize, he will do anything to keep you safe. However, as I said, most of his interest is on Entai. I suspect that to him, you are a much beloved little sister; as he certainly treats you like one." Stopping, D pushed open the door to her room and ushered her in, with the good doctor no more than a pace behind. Softly, he continued, placing a finger under her chin and forcing her to look at him. "Do not allow your prior experiences to darken what you find here. If the others find you precious, then let them care for you, and chase the shadows they see in your eyes away. Never doubt your worth while you are here. Here, it is truly _their_ opinion that matters."

Unbidden, tears began to trickle down her face, and she suddenly lurched forward to wrap her arms around D's lean frame. For a few minutes, she cried silently into his chest, while his hands combed gently through her hair. For once in his life, Count D was tempted to visit a little justice on the human race for the sake of another human. It was a strange feeling.

Settling himself at the foot of her bed, Lee Sinhg watched the pair with a small smile on his face. This thing … this girl showing up here was a good thing, he decided. Knowing her would be a very good thing for the Count. It was yet another reminder that not all the human race was unsalvageable. He had seen the gradual softening in D's manner that Detecive Orcot and his younger brother had brought about, and this girl seemed to have furthered the cause. Coughing quietly to break up the moment, he gestured to the bed when the girl turned her reddened eyes on him. "Take off your top, please, and sit while I look at your wounds," he asked in the most polite way he could manage, hiding a smile all the while.

When she sat down in front of him, she quickly discarded the obi and pulled the front of her kimono open, revealing the thick pink scars and the black thread that held them together. Fortunately she retained her modesty thanks to the black bra she wore. It wasn't the one Ten had conjured for her, although it was somewhat similar. Jill had brought her several, quietly confiding that while Count D was full of surprises, she doubted he had a large stock of women's underthings.

Reaching out, he brushed a thumb over several of the injuries and "hmm"d. "I think the stitches can come out of these. They've healed much more quickly than I anticipated." Picking up her hand, he deftly unwrapped it and inspected the hole through the middle of it. "Now, this needs to washed more often. See the red along the edges? It's the beginning of an infection. My medicines fight infection and swelling, but if you don't keep it clean, they won't work as well." He deftly cleaned the wound, even as Ronan hissed at the sting of peroxide. "I am grateful this missed the tendons in your hand. That would have been difficult to treat." Leaving the bandages off her hand, he reached down into his bag and pulled out a pair of small scissors and tweezers. "Hold still while I pull the stitches." Though she twitched a few times when a thread pulled on tender skin, Sinhg was able to complete his task in mere moments and he pulled back to survey his handiwork. "That should do it. Even though the stitches are out, I advise that you try to keep from being too rough with yourself. There is still a possibility that you could reopen these. Continue taking the medicine I provided for you for another week. You should be out of danger by then."

Pulling her clothing back around her, she looked up when Count D and Lee Sinhg turned toward the door. "Doctor Lee Sinhg?" she called hesitantly. "Thank you."

He threw a smile back at her. "You are very welcome, my dear."

Returning his smile until they'd shut the door behind them, she flopped back on her bed and stared at the ceiling, falling asleep within minutes. When Tetsu looked in on her an hour later she was dozing peacefully, and he quietly tucked her into bed, almost absently running his fingers through her hair where it spread out on the pillow for a moment before he turned jerkily on his heel and walked out, a soft snarl rumbling in his chest in frustration.

I contribute the idea for Ten's "Fluffy Moment Hall of Shame" entirely to LadyRainStarDragon and her Spirited Away series of fics.

(bounces Oh, this chapter was so sweet!!!!! I loved D and his comment about Ten and Entai!!! Subu did too! More, more, more, more please? holds out cupped hands Pwease??)


	7. Chapter 7

**Predator and Prey**

_Disclaimer: Petshop of Horrors not mine. I just wished I lived there. In addition, Lee Sinhg, Coyote, and Entai are the sole property of Akita and Subu-chan, who have graciously allowed me to write a fic that ties in with their PSOH fics. Any other characters from any other series that may pop up also belong only to their respective companies._

Co-authored by: Kita and Subu-chan.

_Chapter Seven:_

Yawning and stretching after D had come in to wake her so she could be ready when the Detective came to pick her up, Ronan blinked down at her legs and smiled sleepily. As she'd suspected, and Count D had confirmed the day before, curled up on her legs was a pair of small bodies, snoring loudly. Both of them wavered in her vision a moment before settling on the forms of two small girls, white haired and brown skinned. Both wore identical thigh-length tunics in vivid blue and loose black pants, devoid of decoration. She was a little surprised she had slept the night through, considering how early she'd gone to bed. Easing herself out of bed slowly so she wouldn't wake her companions, the brown-haired girl moved over to the wardrobe to pull out something clean to wear. After a moment of thought she pulled out a pair of light pants in a startling shade of bright indigo, cautiously dyed to look like a deep tropical ocean, and a cheongsam top (she'd only taken it because she could tell it was _much_ too small for the Count) in white embroidered with a tsunami in complementary shades of blue. The sleeves of the garment were of the thinnest, nearly translucent, white silk and flowed into graceful bells, rather then being cuffed at the end. Gathering all of her choices and collecting her bath supplies, she stuck her head out of her door and hurried down the corridor to another door, which she opened silently and slipped inside.

Taking a deep breath of the warm damp air in the "room", she eagerly pushed through the obscuring foliage to look on her own private hot spring. She had no idea how this place had come to exist, but somehow the shop had heard her silent wish for a … sanctuary like this. Even though her healing injuries prevented her from a real bath, at least she could scrub off here. It was such a peaceful place, and the striking scenery calmed her distressed heart and mind.

During one of their long conversations over dinner, D had tried to explain some of the properties of the shop's magic. For every inhabitant, he had said, the magic that ran the shop provided whatever he or she needed to survive, within reason. In her case, it had chosen to provide her with a comfortable, if to his taste somewhat extravagantly decorated, room, to make her feel welcome and at home. For Phillip the dolphin it had presented a vast, warm sea for him to play in. When she'd asked about Ten and Tetsu, he had smiled and replied that Ten was comfortable living as a human and Tetsu (who did have his own room) but used it only rarely now that he had the tiger twins to teach.

Briefly, she wondered what T-chan's room was like, before shrugging the thought away and dipping her washcloth in the hot water. Even though she couldn't soak herself the way she wanted to, just the ambient heat of this secluded little glade was relaxing her. As she finished her scrubbing, she looked up and back the way she had come when she heard the sound of the door opening and closing. Two high-pitched squeals alerted her to the fact that she was no longer alone.

Quickly pulling her gray sleeping robe around her, she followed the laughter to a small stream on the other side of the forested meadow. Two splashes announced the entry of the two girls who she left sleeping on her bed. Giggles rose from them as they began to splash each other playfully.

"Hey, Kas! Look, breakfast!" Called one, coming up from a dive, a fresh water fish in hand. It was still wriggling. She watched, fighting down a smile, though she was slightly disturbed that it was still alive, when they proceeded to play catch with it, tossing it back and forth between them. They were too cute.

"Hello," she said. "I don't think we've actually met before. I'm Ronan. You two have been sleepin' with me for the last couple of nights, yes?"

The game ended abruptly when the pair realized they'd been caught. When she finally saw both faces she blinked. They were identical twins and turned matching sheepish grins up at her. The closest one nodded warily. "Count D said it'd be okay. You don't mind do you?"

She giggled and flapped a dismissive hand at them. "Nah, I don't mind. But I would like to know your names."

The girl traded looks with her sister, then shrugged and smiled at Ronan. "I'm Kawa. Giggle-puss over there is Kasumi. We're otters."

" … Okay. Well, it was nice meeting you. Have fun catchin' breakfast. I'd like to stay and play, but I have to finish getting dressed and go get my own breakfast before Detective Orcot arrives. I'll see you later, 'kay?"

The twin girls nodded eagerly and dove back into the water. Resurfacing, Kasumi sent Ronan a pleading look. "Hey, can you send Chris to play with us? And Pon-chan, too?"

Covering her grin with her bandaged hand, she nodded. "Sure. T-chan will probably come too. Is that okay?" She may not have been there long, but one thing she had learned quickly was that anyone in the shop who wasn't a predator was afraid of Tetsu. She had figured that it had something to do with _what_ he was, but she had yet to find time to ransack the Library for information on Totetsu, and she sure as hell wasn't gong to ask D, or Tetsu himself. D had already told her once that if she wanted to know something about one of the inhabitants she should ask the one in question. In T-chan's case, she opted for caution, not knowing how the Totetsu would react.

The pair traded glances, black eyes bright with humor, and then shrugged. "T-chan follows Chris everywhere. I guess as long as he doesn't scare the fish it's alright," said Kasumi before she dived back under.

Going back to her clothes, she pulled them on, brushed out her hair after deciding to leave it down, and collected her all-natural soap, a gift from D, who'd nearly had a heart attack when he saw her using the bottles of shampoo and conditioner Jill had brought her. The look on his face would have been comical, if he hadn't been completely serious. Even now, she stifled a giggle at the thought. Dropping her stuff in her room, she followed her nose to the kitchen, where T-chan was making breakfast.

"Waffles? Yum!" she exclaimed, darting in to give the preoccupied creature a peck on his cheek, temporarily making his thoughts short-circuit. "Thanks, T-chan!" she exclaimed as she pulled away from him.

Tetsu blinked a few times, trying to reconnect his mind to what he was doing. _Did she __**really **__just _… he wondered to himself, shooting her an incredulous look.

Ronan paid him no mind as she went about setting the small kitchen table for herself and Chris. Once done, she nudged Tetsu aside and took over the waffle iron, while he went back to scrambling the eggs in the frying pan. She had done so so naturally that it almost seemed choreographed. Frowning for a second as she pulled a waffle out of the iron, she cast a look at her cooking partner and nibbled on her lip in thought.

"Hey, T-chan?" she finally asked, more hesitant than he'd seen her since her first night of full awareness.

"Hmm?"

"I want to make some cookies or something, later. Will you help me?" she asked as she set the plate stacked high with waffles on the table.

He turned an incredulous look on her as she neatly fixed her plate with waffles, eggs and a glass of orange juice. After a moment he shrugged and shook his head, his somewhat shaggy hair flying about his face. "I guess it won't be much of a problem. Any idea when you're going to be through with the idiot detective?"

Grimacing, she shook her head negatively. "No idea. I doubt I'll be back before lunch, so maybe sometime before dinner?"

He watched her, leaning on the edge of the table, as a sleepy Chris joined them. "What do you want to make?" He asked finally while she filled the little boy's plate.

"I dunno. Something sweet that D would like. Maybe fudge. That sounds good. We could make several batches and have one plain, and add nuts or candied fruits to the others. Oh, before I forget... Chris, Kasumi and Kawa asked if you'd come play with them. Last time I saw them they were three doors down from my room. Ah..." She reprimanded as he all but leapt from his seat. "You finish your breakfast before you go."

Tetsu half-smiled when he went back to the sink to start cleaning up. Once she finished her meal Ronan thoughtfully gathered up all the dishes on the table for him and left them stacked next to the sink. Brushing herself off, and making sure everything was in place she headed out to what she had termed the "greeting room", having heard the Detective and D talking, quietly, this time. She had noticed that half their conversations tended to become arguments or at least shouting matches. Ten had just chuckled at her when she had broached the subject of their arguments to him. _"Don't worry, kitling,"_ He'd said, a wicked twinkle in his green eyes. _"They take a lot of pleasure out of their 'squabbles.' It's as much about having someone to fuss right back at you, as it is about the fighting. It's all a game they play."_ His answer had left her more baffled, so confused, in fact, that she hadn't taken him to task about calling her '_kitling.'_

Leon took one look at her as she entered and turned on D. "Jeeze," he said in a resigned tone. "Now you have a mini-me. Stop corrupting our youth, damn it!"

D ignored him as he smiled at her. "You look quite lovely, Ronan. It was a wonderful choice. Now, are you quite certain you are ready for this?"

"I … I'm not sure," she said hesitantly. "I think I am, but … Well, I suppose that sooner is better than later." She finished, waving away her doubts.

"If you're ready to go, we should get going." Leon told her. She was a little surprised at the concern in his blue eyes.

The dark-haired girl nodded and looked at D one last time. She pointed a finger at him, schooling her expression to hide her nervousness. "When I get back, _you_ are officially banned from the kitchen. T-chan and I are going to be making something and it's a surprise."

He smiled at her, hiding his surprise, and nodded. "Very well," he said, all the while wondering at how close she'd managed to get to the Totestu in the short span of time she'd been here. Never in all the time he'd known the creature had he ever permitted anyone to cook in his kitchen. In thoughtful silence, he watched as she walked out of the shop right behind Leon.

"Hey, Boss. She just came out. Want me to grab her?" A heavyset man, hidden in the doorway of another shop grumbled into his headset, his low bass laced with eagerness.

"Who is she with? I doubt she would come out on her own." Came the response from his cell phone.

"Some tall blond guy." The thug hesitated as Leon held open the car door for the slight girl. "Shit, I think he's a cop. He's got one of those portable sirens in his car."

An angry hiss echoed in his ear. "Leave her, for now. No need to get the damned cops on our case."

Tucked away in an office on another side of the city, a smallish, forty-something man with a beard hung up his telephone and looked over at his guest. His anger faded quickly into nervousness. "She's left the shop in the company of a motherfucking cop, there's currently no way in hell I can go after her. They'll have her in protective custody within an hour of hearing what all that little bitch has to say. I need help, or my entire organization is up shit creek."

"Where is this girl you need back so desperately?" The stranger asked, unconcerned by the half-furious ranting.

"Some weird shop in Chinatown. That's your territory, so I'm asking for your help."

The figure sighed, irritation showing through his calm facade at last. "_Which_ shop?"

"I don't know, dammit! It's some kind of pet shop, I think."

The man hissed and sat up straight in his chair. He gave the smaller man a cold glare, his sudden anger a palpable force in the confined room. "We will _not _assist you in this. Standing against that one would spell destruction for my ikka. The Count does not easily let go of that which he has claimed, you fool. Obviously he has done so, to allow this girl to remain within his shop. No, there is not one single family of the Yakuza that will aid you if you stand against him." Rising, the unnamed man stood and walked out, leaving a confused American crime boss sputtering curses behind him.

Leon watched from behind a two-way mirror as Jill gently spoke to Ronan. She'd refused to speak to the guy from Organized Crime and had been nervous and embarrassed when he'd tried to question her. Jill had come in with coffee and soothed the girl, who was hiding her fear behind a wall of anger. He knew all the signs by now, having handled other rape cases. She'd locked away what had happened to her behind a cheery smile and stormy eyes and was now being forced to dredge it up for strangers. Leon felt his hands clench into fists at his sides as he listened to her stuttering recital of what had happened to her since she'd left her home. His anger grew into a smoldering rage as Jill's patience, persistence, and simple kindness broke Ronan's barriers and the first shuddering sobs escaped her. Jill gathered her close and let her cry, stroking her dark hair with one hand. Leon turned away and punched the wall, barely noticing the sting as the skin over his knuckles split from the force of the blow.

_Bastards! Goddamned motherfucking bastards._ He sucked absently at his injured hand, vowing silently that by the time he got through with them, there wouldn't be enough left for D to feed to his man-eating-pets.

By the time Ronan was done making her statement, Leon was shaking with suppressed rage at what she had endured. _She's just a kid, dammint! She's no older than Stephen's girl. She was what … sixteen or seventeen ... her last birthday?_

The chief came in the room as she was finishing her statement. He listened to her stumble her way through the last couple of sentences and glanced at Leon's set face and bleeding hand. "Settle down, Orcot."

Leon growled under his breath. "Don't tell me to settle down, _sir!_ There's a girl in that room who's been repeatedly raped, beaten nearly to death and stabbed, and you want me to calm my ass down! Nothing doing! I want this case, sir! I want to pound every fucking one of those motherfuckers."

"Leon," The chief said quietly, urging him into a chair. "I can't give you the case. Look at yourself, man. You're wound tighter than a jack-in-the-box!"

"Dammit!" Leon calmed himself with a supreme amount of effort. "At least let me be in charge of protecting her. I'll keep her at D's. Those fools won't know what hit them if they try to grab her there." _Yeah, they'll be eaten,_ he thought to himself, a malicious smirk crossing his face at that thought, for once allowing the bloody images to play in his head. _Preferably where I can watch._

The Chief chuckled. "I was hoping you'd say that. Tell D the new puppy was most appreciated. My wife adores her." He looked in the window, grimacing. "Poor thing," he rumbled at last, as Jill wrapped a supportive arm around the girl's shoulder and handed her a box of Kleenex. "To suffer so much in such a short period of time. I'm given to understand that she came in through New York, so I'll have to cooperate with them. After you told me about her, I contacted an old Academy friend of mine, Berkeley Rose. He's a commissioner, now. Apparently he's got a similar case he's got his two best working on. They'll probably be in contact with you sometime soon, to interview her. Their names are Dee Laytner, and his partner Randy McLean. I just want you to be prepared. And before you ask, yes you can have a copy of the file." The Chief turned away and ran a hand through his hair, sighing. "It'll take a bit of haggling to get approval for her to stay at the petshop, so for now I'm putting all your other cases on hold. I want you with her every minute she's anywhere they might try to grab her." He finally met his subordinate's eyes, a haunted look in his own. "I … My daughter … disappeared in a similar manner over fifteen years ago. I begin to wonder if the cases are connected," he said softly.

It was late afternoon when Ronan returned to the shop, and all could see she had been weeping, but she assured them she was okay while she walked into the kitchen and closed the door behind her. She leaned up against the door and gave a sobbing sigh as she closed her eyes. Finally she opened them and stared a Tetsu for a moment before walking over to the table and leaning on it.

Tetsu looked up from the book he was reading. She softly giggled a little at the cover, finally allowing herself to relax from the tense state she'd wound herself up into. The cover read 'Shakespeare: Twelfth Night' "Plays, Tetsu? I didn't know you liked that sort of thing," she said as she giggled again at the very thought of the deadly creature reading.

He sniffed. "This would have been one of the few humans I could have liked, he's got a right wicked sense of humor. And he was positively bloody-minded." Marking his page with a wooden spoon, he closed the book and looked up at her. "I've got all the ingredients for fudge. If that's still what you want to make."

She nodded, sobering. "Yes. I thought it should be something the count would like."

He gave her a piercing glare. "You mean, something difficult enough to distract you from your past." He paused. "It cannot have been easy to tell strangers what happened to you."

She waved him off, her eyes going distant. "I … It had to be done. Better that I do it now than stay silent and endanger others." She picked at the tablecloth. "If any of the information I've given them saves even one other from the sort of fate I suffered, it was worth it." She sighed and looked down on herself. "This really isn't the sort of thing I should wear for cooking. Let me go change into somethin' a little less nice."

As she drifted off through the doorway, Tetsu caught himself watching the way she walked. Growling to himself, he commented to himself about his growing attraction to this tiny slip of a human. "You spent way too much time hiding as a human, Totetsu," he hissed silently.

Later, after the fudge was made and Ronan had disappeared into the depths of the shop, presumably to play with the tiger twins, Entai entered the kitchen to find Tetsu glaring off into space, his arms crossed over his chest. The look on his face was a combination of dismay, contempt, disgust, and bewilderment. For the first time her heart went out to the dangerous creature.

"What troubles you, Totetsu? If I can help …" she let her voice trail off, leaving the invitation to talk open.

Standing and stalking out of the kitchen, his fists buried in his pockets, T-chan glowered at her over his shoulder. "None of your damn business, bird."

Confused, the hawk decided to seek out the Count's advice. She supposed she shouldn't have tried on her own, but she was unused to seeing the self-confident Totetsu seeming so … distraught.

When she posed her question to the count she was rather surprised to see his lips twitch for a full minute before he gave in and began laughing helplessly, as a piece of the fudge the two had made dangled from his fingers.

"Don't worry yourself over it, my hawk. It will sort itself out on it own. T-chan is simply finding himself … somewhat more than just affectionate of our newest resident." Sobering quickly, he turned his gaze inward. "There is something within her that … calls to him. To his basest instincts. Not entirely unexpected. She needs a protector, and that is in part what his kind are built for. It is how many families gained a Totetsu protector in the long ago." Shaking off the memories, he patted Entai on the shoulder. "Let this be for now. All will be well in the end."

Not so long after this, D would be rueing his words of reassurance.

**A/N: Hi all. I'm sorry it took so long to update, but my betas were in the process of moving and it didn't feel right to post anything they hadn't had a hand in, considering that this is a side fic to their "Wicked" series. But they're back now and eager to beta more, so hopefully the updates will come more often now. That being said, Please read and REVIEW! I love reviews!**

Sesshy81


	8. Chapter 8

**Predator and Prey**

_Disclaimer: Petshop of Horrors is not mine. I just wished I lived there. In addition, Lee Sinhg, Coyote, and Entai are the sole property of Akita and Subu-chan, who have graciously allowed me to write a fic that ties in with their PSOH fics. Any other characters from any other series that may pop up also belong only to their respective companies._

Co-authored by: Kita and Subu-chan.

_Chapter Eight:_

Chris stumbled through the kitchen door, half-asleep and yawning, rubbing his eyes with one hand and reaching for the refrigerator door with the other. He was thirsty and wanted a glass of milk. He almost didn't notice the pair sitting at the kitchen table, arguing quietly over an open book in the light of a small oil lamp. _T-chan? _ he asked through a yawn, as he pulled open the door.

Startled, the pair looked up at the boy then turned to each other.

"Ah, T-chan, what time is it?" the other finally asked as he rose to help Chris get his glass of milk.

"Late," he said quietly. "You should go to bed, Ronan. We both lost track of time. I'll lock up."

Rising, she yawned and ran a hand through her hair. As she went through the door, she smirked over her shoulder at him and said flippantly, "Dante may have been a good writer, but he was still a pompous, self-righteous ass."

Tetsu bristled silently, unable to make the response he wanted to with Chris present, and damned if he wasn't sure she knew that. These late night talks of theirs had begun five days ago, after she had found him reading Shakespeare in the kitchen. Granted, she'd had a very stressful day and he wasn't too surprised to find her awake late that night in the kitchen. But she was also reading. Of all things, she was reading Edgar Allen Poe. Poetry. And munching on a grilled cheese sandwich, with a glass of milk in front of her. Through a mouthful of cheese and bread she'd commented to him that Poe was a downright _creepy_ poet. That had led to their first discussion. He couldn't say it was an argument, since their voices never went above a stage whisper, but in the course of that discussion he discovered that she was very well read for someone of her age. _And generation_, he growled grumpily to himself, ushering Chris back toward his bedroom.

As he passed the entry door to the rest of the shop he hissed when he saw the Detective passed out, sprawled on one of the couches. Making sure Chris was tucked into bed, he stalked down to D's room and knocked lightly on the door.

"Yes, T-chan. What is it?" Replied the Count from his lounging chair where he sipped a late night cup of tea. The shop was quiet and there had been no 'incidents' of late... as he'd begun to call them. Usually begun by Ronan reacting badly to being startled. The first time it had taken hours to calm the small kitten who had batted at Ronan's ankles as she was passing. Her startled shriek had raised half the shop. He couldn't really explain the situation to any of his pets who'd never spent time hiding amongst humans. Ten-chan was trying but …

Somehow, Ten-chan had snuck out with the girl and the Detective, and had heard the full story of what had happened to her. He'd come back with dangerously snapping eyes and a growling glare that would have done the Totetsu proud; his own frayed temper getting in the way of his usual jovial urbanity. D was not truly surprised at the kitsune's reaction, just at the … extremity of it. Ten wasn't a gentle-natured creature by any means, but he wasn't bloodthirsty like Tetsu was, and yet every once in a while he overheard the fox watching her with a possessive glint in his green eyes and muttering to himself about fricasseed human.

Apparently Ronan had been added to the kitsune's "Must Be Protected" list. All to the good for her; as Ten was a dangerous adversary, but D hoped there wouldn't be any need for him to do so.

"The Detective is asleep on a couch. Can I bite him?" Tetsu's grumpy voice had a hopeful lilt to it.

D sighed. As amusing as the long-running grudge was, this late at night it just got on his nerves. "No, you may not, T-chan. I will see to him. You should go to your own rest."

The soft rustle of fabric and a click announced D's emergence from his bedroom. After shooing the Totetsu off to curl up with Chris, the slender man geared himself up to do battle.

He was all set to give Leon an earful, but his first view of the sleeping man choked the words off in his throat. For once, all the cares of the day were erased from his handsome face and Leon was actually smiling peacefully in his sleep. Shaking his head at his own 180 in attitude, D silently retrieved a blanket from a cupboard and covered the prone man with it, carefully tucking in the edges so as to not wake him.

Needless to say he was quite surprised when Leon's hand shot up and grabbed his wrist in an iron grip.

"D … wha? Is there trouble?" he asked groggily. D was surprised to see the gun in his opposite hand, retrieved quickly from beneath the cushion Leon had been using as a pillow.

D shook his head, midnight hair tossing. "No, no. I was unaware you would be staying here tonight. I would have provided better accommodations. If you wish, I am certain there is an extra room available."

Leon gave him a confused glare. "Whatthehell? You mean you haven't noticed? I've been here every night since Ronan gave her statement to the department. The Chief wants me to stay as close to her as possible."

Blinking in astonishment, D sat abruptly on a nearby chair. He tugged absently at his wrist and raised an eyebrow when Leon didn't release it. "First of all, may I have my hand back?"

Leon looked down at their joined hands, a blush that threatened spontaneous combustion highlighting his cheeks with vivid color. "Eh … sorry," he said as he released his grip on the other man's hand.

"Thank you. Second of all, how was it that I was unaware of your extended stay in my domain?"

"Well, the first night Chris let me in. I told him why I needed to stay here and ever since, the door has been unlocked when I came to knock on it. I figured he'd told you and you had left the door open for me."

D shook his head. He had not left the door unlocked, however he had the curious notion that some of his pets had overheard Leon's talk with Chris and saw to it that he was able to get in. Not that he'd ever offer that opinion to the Detective. "It was not I. Perhaps Chris has been unlocking the door for you. Still, how have I not known how long you've been here?"

Yawning, Leon shrugged. "I've been leaving around eight at night to shower and change, coming back and then getting up before dawn to write my reports at the precinct. Then I'd come back here after breakfast. Shit, I had forgotten how much I hate guard duty."

Sighing at the inevitability, D stood and offered his hand to Leon. "Come. There is a much more comfortable bed you may use. And from now on, you will eat breakfast before you leave." Turning off the lights in the room, D lead the taller man into the back corridors, neither one noticing that the front door was still unlocked.

Three men nodded to each other when the lights in the shop finally went off at around midnight. They'd had to wait nearly the entire night for their chance to come, and they'd spent the last three nights planning. Shifting and looking at each other, one held up two fingers and tapped his watch. They'd wait two more hours.

Approaching the iron gate, the first went to work with a blow torch, making quick work of the hinges and lock. The second, a short ferret-like man, pulled out a set of lock picks and set to work on the door itself, chuckling to himself a few moments later when he simply pushed the door open. "It was unlocked," he whispered to his companions. Gliding into the silent and dark shop the man looked around and whistled quietly. "Shit, this guy must be _rich_," he grumbled to himself. Shaking his head and putting the thought aside for another day, he waved his hand at the other two, beckoning them inside. Heading straight for the large double doors at the back of the room, they pulled them open and just goggled for a moment at the diverging hallways.

"Alright, let's split up," growled one quietly. "Roger, you take the left, Allen, you take right. I'll go straight ahead. Meet up back here in one hour if you don't find her. Go!"

The one named Allen followed the right hand hallway, opening and closing doors as he went. Most of them only contained the rare pets the proprietor was rumored to sell. He was grateful that none of them raised a ruckus at his presence. Some were empty, awaiting only a resident. A few contained supplies, strange and exotic things he could put no name to. He opened one door and found a spare bedroom, empty. Rummaging around for a minute, he concluded that this was not her room. There was nothing in the room but a paperback book, badly dog-eared and worn; some thriller the size of a phone book. Snorting, he tossed it back on the table beside the bed.

Moving on, he pulled open another door a crack and shut it almost immediately, though silently. The shop owner and the Detective were in that one, having a very soft discussion over tea. Fortunately, they seemed too wrapped up in each other to notice him. Neither the sneak nor the Detective noticed the way D's eyes slid to the door for a fraction of a second, or the slight smile that tugged at his mouth.

Roger was doing the same along his hallway. It was more of the same for him and he was getting heartily tired of finding … nothing. "Damn it, bitch, where the fuck are you?" He grumbled quietly to himself as he opened another door. A slithering hiss jerked his eyes up to stare into baleful eyes the color of good rubies and a large mouth containing foot-long fangs. He froze, unable to move under that hypnotizing gaze. The creature slid forward and wrapped himself around the human, hissing to himself. "I believe you humans call this 'breaking and entering'," said Rikoda to the terrified human, as he slithered back into the darkness with his snack. "An act that deserves punishment."

It was the third who was having the most luck. He'd found Chris's door and sneered at the sight of the pile of bodies on the bed._ Kids, _he thought to himself in derision.

Opening the next one, he found an empty bedroom, but one obviously occupied by a female. Grunting, he shut the door behind him and turned around only to run smack into the girl they were looking for. At least it looked like her. There was something wrong with her eyes. _Weren't they brown in that photo? _He asked himself. _ Why are they green now?_

He made a grab for her and totally missed the vicious smirk that flickered across her face as she effortlessly avoided him and took off at a dead run into the depths of the shop, screaming as she went and rousing the entire shop in her wake.

"Shit!" he said expressively. Then he ran after her.

Behind him, Chris's door opened and shut, leaving a hungry-looking Tetsu glowering after the running man for a moment before he too followed, fully intent on taking a piece or two out of him.

The rest of the animals in the shop immediately understood that there was an intruder and set about making his escape virtually impossible. Most of them hadn't understood what had happened to Ronan, but certainly understood she was being hunted, and they would not allow her to be harmed.

Off in another part of the shop, D and Leon looked up at the sudden cries and traded glances.

"You don't think …" said Leon.

D only gave the human a particularly malicious smile, and bowed him out the door.

"You know, having him alive would be nice!" exclaimed Leon as they pelted full out along the corridors. "I'd hate to have to explain why there are dead bodies with pieces missing instead of captured criminals."

D gave him a long glance out of the corner of his eyes and shrugged expressively as he easily kept pace. "I can make no guarantees as to the safety of this man, or men. My pets will protect their territory with violence if necessary."

Allen had come to the end of his corridor and shrugged when he only found a painting of a tiger hung on the wall. All of the side passages had only contained more of the freaky animals that he had no wish to make the acquaintance of. Turning back the way he had come, he had taken no more than five steps when a low growl behind him had the hairs on his neck lifting in atavistic fear. Turning about slowly, he dreaded to see what was behind him.

It was a very large tiger. Confused, he looked at the painting and shuddered when he realized that the tiger in it was gone. Slowly the tiger stalked towards him, the low rumble growing louder with every step. Gulping, he tried to make his legs move, but they seemed frozen in place. He held up his hands in a futile effort to ward the creature off. He didn't have a chance to scream before the beast leapt, teeth and claws bared.

He was lucky. D and Leon showed up only moments later, D snapping out something in Chinese that had the tiger backing up and curling itself about D's legs. "As you can see, my pets prefer not to be disturbed. They dislike intruders intensely. I believe, Detective, that you have the authority to arrest this man?" the Count asked as he absently stroked the tiger's head, making it purr in content. Leon stepped forward with a feral grin.

Allen sneered at him. "You won't be able to protect her forever, you know. The other two took the other hallways and since she's not in this one, one of them will find her."

Leon froze for a minute. Then fury blazed in his eyes. Reaching forward he grabbed the other man by the collar and yanked him so close their noses nearly touched. "If either of those bastards hurt my little brother, I might just let that damned goat of the Count's eat you, and the more joy to him for it. And as for Ronan," He paused and chuckled a bit evilly. "She's not without her protectors, you stupid prick."

"Indeed," Affirmed the Count in a frosty tone that made glaciers seem warm by comparison. "My pets are … rather fond of her. And most of them are quite deadly. Like this lovely fellow here," he said, scratching at the tiger's ears. It leaned into his touch and growled at Allen again.

Rikoda looked up from the human caught in his coils and cocked his head, listening to the cries from the other pets. "Ah, so you are not the only one here," he whispered dryly. "I see."

Beginning to laugh, he called out to a few of the other pets of the fanged and clawed variety, inviting them to join him. Then he _reached_ and touched the mind of the screamer. _Ten. Why am I not surprised...? Lead your … pursuer to my den. My friends and I will take care of them._ Settling himself on the floor, he groaned. Using that ability was exhausting, even for a basilisk of his age. Very few of his kind ever gained the gift of mind speak, and those that did rarely used it because of the mental exhaustion afterward.

Deep in the corridors of the shop, Ten chuckled to himself as he received the big snake's message. He'd do it, but he'd decided to lead the idiot behind him straight through another part of the shop that no one but Chris and D went, first. He had a surprise left for this fool.

Whipping around a corner he nearly ran over Ronan as she left the Library. Casting a glance behind him at the human, he grabbed her hand and pulled her up with a snarled "Run!" Pulling her along behind him, he raced through several side corridors, unexpectedly finding her hand tugged out of his grasp. He turned with a snarl to find Zeriah standing in an open doorway, her golden eyes blazing.

She yanked Ronan behind her and frowned fiercely at Ten. "Go! I'll protect her," she snapped at the fox, pushing the girl farther into her nest, mantling when Ten hesitated a second longer. Ten flashed her a vulpine grin and darted away. Zeriah shut the door before the human rounded the corner, hissing softly as he ran after the fox. Ronan's face was flushed and her eyes were startled and half-mad with a renewal of her terror. Zeriah gently enfolded her in a wing. Ronan started before bursting into tears, burying her face in the hippogryph's gold-brown feathers.

Zeriah hissed and awkwardly patted the girls head. "They will never touch you again, little one." She stared out into the corridor where Ten and his pursuer had disappeared, dark amber eyes angry. "The Count has offered his protection and that is nothing to scoff at. If asked, there is not a being here who would not risk life and limb for someone under D's protection. Tetsu once took a bullet for Chris and will do the same for you." '_And maybe even more,_' she thought to herself, remembering the discussion she'd had with a certain hawk a few days ago. She had her own ideas as to what was happening between the two. Despite the restraints placed upon him by D, Tetsu was a predator, and she strongly suspected that his protector's and predator's instincts were in conflict with each other.

Ronan hiccuped and snuggled into Zeriah's embrace. For a moment, she had been back there in the staircase, pinned to the cold concrete, a blade through her hand and her tormentor ramming himself into her helpless, battered body. She hated herself for the weakness that made her shake in the hippogryph's embrace. She blinked a moment later when Tetsu flashed by the door she could still see out of. For the first time she saw what any normal human saw, and gulped at the huge beast he revealed himself to be. His back was easily as tall as her shoulder and as broad as a horse's, covered by a thick and shaggy pelt of reddish-brown. Three inch long fangs jutted out of his mouth in a livid snarl and battle-light made his eyes glow.

Awed wonder filled her and pushed back the fear attempting to control her. She'd caught glimpses of the smaller, pet-size version of him, and for it's size it was impressive. This … this was incredible. Now she understood why most of the other creatures in the shop were terrified of him. Looking up at the hovering hippogryph, she smiled tentatively, although it was a bit crumpled around the edges.

"I'm okay. I was just … startled. I never would have thought they'd come here."

"This is good. It only means you are beginning to heal. We have all come to care for you, for all you've not been here long. Come, none who enter here without my permission leave alive. We may rest while the more deadly of us deal with the trespassers."

"Um … Zeriah?"

Yes, little one?" replied the hippogryph as she settled herself back on her nest.

"Just now … when Tetsu ran by … I saw … Well, I guess it's what everyone one else sees, but … I mean, is that really what he looks like under the shapeshift?"

Flipping her wings closed and turning her head to look at the human girl, Zeriah narrowed her eyes as she thought about the question. "Hmmm, well, I know that the Count has fixed things so that the Totetsu does not seem so dangerous to humans; the form usually seen by visitors is not even a quarter his real size. Ronan, you must remember that above all else, Tetsu is a predator, one of the very few species who have made humans a natural part of their diet. His true form reflects that. However, you are something different, and have D's protection, Tetsu is no threat to you. I can say that if the Totetsu get his teeth into the human that was chasing you, there won't be anything left of him in the morning. If it makes you feel better, I will say that Tetsu likes you a great deal."

"He does?" she asked shyly, blushing.

"Very much so. Now come and rest yourself. All will be well by morning."

Ten-chan let himself nearly be caught as he led the stupid thug a merry chase through the corridors. He'd seen the flash of terror in Ronan's eyes as she had seen the man. Oh yes, he was going to enjoy this... He doubled back, narrowly escaping the frustrated grab the man made for him. Ten spotted Tetsu coming up fast, a furious snarl on his face. "This way!" He shouted to the angry Totetsu.

"What are you planning, fox-boy?" Tetsu snarled as he growled and snapped at the human chasing after Ten.

Ten-chan favored him with a grin that took even the seasoned predator aback. He hadn't seen Ten that angry in a long, long time. His green eyes blazed with raging fire as he dodged a clumsy grab. "You'll see..."

Chapter eight complete. Read and Review, please!


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